Turn of the Endless Sorcerer
by Jane Poirot
Summary: Post EP5 Visual Novel : Becoming the Endless Sorcerer was only half the battle. It would take reviving Beato and going back one week before the game began to win the war.
1. Chapter 1

**First Disclaimer: Nothing Umineko-related is mine. This was a monkey on my back that just had to get written.**

**Second Disclaimer: This may or may not get finished before the release of the sixth game. With that in mind, treat this as a massive AU in case any of my theories turn out to be wrong. The basic premise will be used, that much I know, but the theories presented here may not be correct.**

**A word of thanks to ****Chidori vs Rasengan****. Without his help, this fanfic would've taken much longer to get published. Many thanks. Any mistakes made are my own.**

**Bold when not in author notes = Red**

_Italics when not in thoughts or emphasis = Blue_

1

Ushiromiya Battler leaned forward in his chair, deep in concentration. At his side stood Virgilia, her pale hair falling down past her shoulders, her eyes halfway closed. Facing opposite him was Frederica Bernkastel and Lady Lambdadelta, both with a look of contempt on their faces. And sitting right between them was Furudo Erika, who did not look quite as contempt, but had a satisfactory smug look on her face. On the table sat a small, handheld mirror left by Virgilia, who claimed she would need it later.

"So," said Battler, "I guess I should set up the next game soon, huh?"

"That would be a good idea," said Bernkastel. "Considering that's something you _should_ have done over an hour ago." She and Lambdadelta turned to face each other and they shared a smile.

"You're right," sighed Battler. "Sorry, I'm still getting the hang of being the Endless Sorcerer and all."

"And that's _all?"_ spoke up Erika, startling the two witches sitting on either side of her. She had not spoken since the last game, when, after thinking she had the upper hand on Battler, she was mercilessly defeated and the game ended in a tie. Now, she spoke with bravado: "You're not upset about your beloved Beato getting eaten up by goats? Your heart isn't being torn apart by the thought of how her last few moments were spent in sheer _agony?"_

Battler clenched his fists. "Don't speak her name," he said in a quiet, angry voice.

Seeing that she had struck a chord, Erika went on: "It was poetic justice, so to say. Hoisted by her own petard. Poisoned by her own concoction. Throat slit by her own sword. However you prefer to say it, she was executed through the same brutal manner she preferred to execute others." She let out an obnoxious yawn. "But I'll bet that satisfied you immensely, did it not? I'll bet you hated her _so much_ for killing your family you _wanted_ to see her suffer, right? But she was too proud to give you that pleasure. Instead, your beloved Beato chose to go down laughing and—"

Battler slammed his hands down on the handles of his chair and shot up from his seat yelling, _"I told you not to speak her name!"_

"Battler," said Virgilia gently, placing one hand on Battler's shoulder. Battler, still glaring, sat back down in his chair.

Erika, after getting over her initial shock smiled over at Bernkastel. "I've found his weak spot," she said. "Are you satisfied?"

"Shut your mouth," said Bernkastel sharply, still angered over the last game ending in a tie. "Mere taunting won't be enough to achieve victory. You can't be all talk in a chess match—you have to sit down and _concentrate."_

Erika sighed and slumped in her chair. "You heard her," she said, twirling a blue pigtail. "What's it going to be?"

"I don't know," muttered Battler, rubbing his aching temples. "Just give me a minute."

"If you really care about your family that much," said Lambdadelta, "you can always just choose more _merciful_ means of killing them off. Well, how about it?"

Battler clenched his fists once more. Now that he was the Game Master, it was his job to set up the game however he liked...and regardless of how merciful the killings would be, he did not want to kill his family or even _think_ about who would want to kill his family, which one of the bunch was a wolf in sheep's clothing waiting to devour the innocent sheep once they were outnumbered by the hungry wolf.

"Lady Lambdadelta," spoke up Virgilia, "I think you should be more merciful on dear Battler. He is entirely new to being the one in charge of the game. He'll figure out the rules eventually. You were at least kind enough to let...my former successor...even everything out to her favour for as long as she could in spite of the control you had on her."

"Yeah, but I hold no responsibility over her any longer," said Lambdadelta with a toss of her short blonde hair. "I hold no responsibility over the dead."

"Shut up," said Battler through clenched teeth.

"Battler," said Virgilia gently. She then said, "If the three of you are getting so bored with waiting for us, then why don't you give us some time alone for a little bit? We'll come up with a strategy to get the game started and let you know when we have. Until then, feel free to go off and plan your strategies while we plan ours."

Bernkastel and Lambdadelta shared a glance. They shrugged and Bernkastel turned back to face Virgilia. "Fair enough," she said. "Just don't think you can get away with starting the game without us."

"Why not?" spoke up Battler. "That was what _you_ did."

Bernkastel ignored this and said, "Come, Erika. We have some planning to do."

The three disappeared in a burst of gold, leaving only Virgilia and Battler. Battler sighed and buried his face in his hands. After getting over the initial rush of becoming the Endless Sorcerer, euphoria faded and reality set in. He had achieved the title of the very thing he had been denying from the start at a terrible cost. Tried as he might, he could not get that face out of his mind...he could not erase the colour of those blue irises that mocked him relentlessly...that laugh that both infuriated and excited him...those golden locks once held up by a delicate bun now hanging loose and lifeless...or that smile she had given him...that very last smile...

"_Thank you...liar...goodbye and...I'm sorry..."_

"Beato," moaned Battler, clenching the red hair that strayed down his forehead. "I'm sorry, Beato..."

"Battler," said Virgilia gently, "do you truly miss her?"

How could he miss her? This was the woman who had sadistically killed his family over and over, forcing him to either admit magic existed or admit someone in his family was a bloodthirsty killer, and _laughed_ over it...and yet...this was also the woman who could be fun to be around _most_ of the time...the woman who, upon thinking about _any_ aspect of her, would leave him feeling heavy-hearted...the woman who wasn't as bad as she seemed...

"Yes," admitted Battler, who slid further down in his chair. "I miss her." He looked into Virgilia's eyes. "Please tell me this is another set-up," he said. "Please tell me this is something you and Beato came up with together to trick me into admitting defeat, _please tell me_ Beato is hiding somewhere _right now_ and is going to jump out at any second crying out "Surprise; I just tricked you; now surrender!" _Please tell me this is just a joke!"_

Battler had thrown himself to his knees and was clutching the edges of Virgilia's dress. Virgilia smiled sadly. "I wish this were another set-up," she said, "but I'm sorry. Beato really is gone."

Battler let out a cry of anguish and threw himself to the floor, weeping bitterly. How could he feel so much for someone he shouldn't even care for? Wait...now he remembered...the few occasions when going back and forth with her was actually _entertaining..._

"Why couldn't you have _remained_ an evil, bloodthirsty witch?" said Battler in between his sobs. "Why did you _have_ to show a pitiable side to yourself? Why did you _have _to show me _I_ was the one torturing _you?"_ He slammed his fists on the ground crying out, "Dammit, _dammit, DAMMIT!"_

"Battler," said Virgilia calmly, "if you miss Beato so much...why don't you call for her right now?"

Shaking with fury and grief, Battler, using a chair for support, stood up. He walked across the tea room and said, "Well, Beato? Aren't you going to show yourself? You've had your fun; now come out and show yourself."

Nothing was happening. Was Virgilia doing this to him to deliberately torment him?

"I said _show yourself!"_ cried out Battler, tossing his arms up in the air. _"Show yourself to me, Beatrice!"_

He cried out and slammed his fists down on the coffee table, taking a few, deep, shaky breaths to calm him down. Sometimes...she had been kind of fun..._why?_ Why did she have to make this so _complicated?_

_Why?_

"Look in the mirror."

Battler looked up. He thought he heard someone talking to him.

"Look in the mirror."

"Virgilia?" said Battler. "Why do you want me to look in the mirror?"

"I'm not the one speaking to you," said Virgilia with an innocent smile on her face.

"Look in the mirror."

"Nice try," said Battler, placing both hands on his hips. "But I know what you're up to—you're a master ventriloquist who is just trying to throw me off by—"

"IDIOT! Look in the mirror!"

Battler sighed and picked up the handheld mirror. He was so startled by the reflection he nearly dropped it. Staring right back at him was _her,_ the former Endless Witch.

Beato.

"Beato," he whispered. "What...how...?"

"Close your eyes," said Beato, a look of fierce determination in her eyes.

Battler stood there, trembling, not believing this. This couldn't be real...he _had_ to be going mad with grief...

"Close your eyes," repeated Beato, sounding irritated that she had to repeat herself.

Even if this was just an illusion...or delusion rather...even if he was only seeing what he _wished_ to see...Battler closed his eyes, wishing for this to be real.

* * *

"Open them."

Battler obeyed...and was nearly taken aback by what he saw. He was no longer in the meta-world...yet it was clear he was most certainly _not_ in the real world, either...

"Where am I?" he said. The world surrounding him was a lavish purple, fragments of the previous games played between him and Beato circling around him...

"This," Battler turned towards Beato's voice and sure enough she was standing just a few feet in front of him, her hair up in its usual bun, her dress long and flowing, "is the world between worlds. We are in neither heaven nor hell nor purgatory. We just _are."_

"I _could_ ask what the hell is going on," said Battler, stroking his chin, "but personal experience tells me you're not going to bother giving me an explanation, are you?"

A smirk made its way across Beato's face and for a moment, she looked like the old, arrogant, proud Beato once more. "Of course not," she said. "What would the fun in that be?"

"Allow me to explain," said another voice. In a burst of gold, Virgilia appeared before the two. She made eye contact with both and spoke: "This is where the souls of those who died in the previous games go to. They know they are not truly dead and gone forever. They know they are but chess pieces in this game, merely put away in their box until the next game begins. And when it does, they are taken back to a certain amount of time before their supposed murders. And they have no memory of it—or at least, no _conscious_ memory, anyway. They retain their subconscious memories, learn from their mistakes, and become better people for it."

"So," said Battler slowly, "this is where Beato's soul is right now? She's not _truly_ dead?"

"No," said Beato. "I am not dead... Not yet, anyway. I could surrender right now and allow myself to go to either heaven or hell, wherever I am destined to go to...or, I could stand up and fight."

The look of determination in her eyes flared up. "Do you really think I plan on just sitting back and doing _nothing_ while you win my game back for me? I guided you along the way...the least I can do is sit on the benches steering you in the right direction rather than just pack up and leave all together. Not even Teacher alone can help you with a game _I_ created."

"She's right," said Virgilia. "Only the creator alone can provide you true guidance."

"That's saying a lot, given I had almost _no_ guidance in the last games," said Battler, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh, that was just to keep you on your toes," said Beato nonchalantly. "If I just _gave_ it away to you, you would be ill-prepared against Bernkastel. However, now that you are used to whatever tricks are thrown in your direction, you are prepared to do whatever you can to strike back."

"Gee, thanks," said Battler sarcastically. "The least you could've done was to _warn_ me." He stroked his chin once more. "Hmm...so I have to bring you back, but if I do you'll be shackled to the game for all eternity and continue to suffer until you die for real...yet you do not wish to be held back in the afterlife..."

"Battler," spoke up Virgilia, "I just thought I'd let you know that Lady Lambdadelta no longer holds any responsibility over Beato. She said so herself: 'I hold no responsibility for the dead'. Remember?" She winked knowingly at Battler.

Battler grinned, figuring out that Virgilia had tricked Lambdadelta into surrendering all power over Beato, therefore enabling Battler to revive her if he wanted. "Oh, you sneaky devil!"

"I'm not quite as innocent as I appear to be," said Virgilia, smiling. "With that in mind, can you come up with something?"

"I...think I can," said Battler slowly. "Now that I am the Game Master, I can set the rules to my liking. If...if I were to turn back time _before_ the murders take place, or before everyone else arrived...let's say one week, like September twenty-seventh...and I were to somehow arrive here...I could get away with trying to figure out who the potential murderer might be. And then I could stop them from committing murder and seek help for them. That way, no one has to be sacrificed. I _could_ get away with that, right?"

"I see no harm," said Virgilia. "After all, Beato _did _set the early games to her advantage so much to the point where they became ridiculous and I took pity on you, **you incompetent fool."**

"Don't blame _me_ for trying to help," scoffed Beato.

"Next time, try to help me a little _less,"_ teased Battler, glad to be bantering with Beato once again. He then said, "We would still need an excuse for my going to Rokkenjima, though. So how about I send you and Virgilia back to a few days before September twenty-seventh so Virgilia can have enough time to send my family an invitation forged in Kinzo's handwriting urging us to come over for an emergency family meeting?"

"My, my, you're on your way to becoming a good chess master," mused Beato. "I chose wisely."

"There's still a third obstacle," said Battler. "Beato...you no longer want to be tied down by the game...yet you have to come back..." He turned to Virgilia. "Virgilia...is it possible for witches to be reverted back to mortals?"

"Well," said Virgilia slowly, "it _has_ been done before...so you _could_ do it..."

"Wait a minute," said Beato suspiciously. "Are you saying you plan on revoking my powers and making me _mortal?!?"_

Battler decided it was best not to beat around the bush with a person like Beato: "Yes."

"How _dare you?!?"_ said Beato angrily, looking and sounding as though she would kill Battler if she had the power to do so. "After all I've done, _this_ is how you plan to repay me?!? By taking away my _powers?!?_ Fine, see if _I_ care when _you_ get torn to pieces by demon goat butlers! Don't expect _me_ to jump in and risk getting impaled by a red sword!" She folded her arms across her chest and 'hmphed' like a scorn child.

"Beato," said Virgilia in a stern voice, "Battler is playing your role from this moment on, so you can no longer be on the game board. And you really have no other choice. You say you do not want to be trapped in the game forever, yet you do not want to be mortal. You cannot have it _both_ ways. As the saying goes, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. You have a choice: You can either go back as a mortal, or not go back at all."

Beato glared at both Virgilia and Battler. "Fine," she sighed. "But only if I'm allowed to do more than _just_ sit there. Doing nothing gets _boring_ after a while."

Virgilia pursed her lips. "Actually," she said, "I have known former witches who had their powers revoked and reverted back to mortal. They said the process is excruciating, so you might not be able to jump in as quickly as you like. But the pain will only be temporary, so..."

"So I'll have to endure a _little_ bit of pain," scoffed Beato. "I'm tougher than most witches, Teacher. Any pain I've faced so far can't be nearly as bad, right?"

"I can only hope so," sighed Virgilia, "Ronove? Seven Stakes? Gaap?"

One by one, each of the following requested appeared in the world-between-worlds. The first one to appear was Ronove, looking proper as ever. Then each of the Stakes prepared to do their service, and finally Gaap, who looked determined to help in bringing a dear friend back to life.

"We are at your service, milady," said Ronove with a bow.

"Anything you need," chimed the Seven Stakes.

"Lia," said Gaap, "what is it you need us to do?"

With a smile, Virgilia said, "Hang on to your hats. We are about to try an entirely different strategy." She turned to Battler. "Ready, Battler?"

"Ready," said Battler. He turned to Beato. "Are you ready, Beato?"

Beato looked hesitant, but she joined hands with Battler. Battler, ignoring the slight shiver of excitement he felt from holding Beato's hand, turned to Virgilia and asked, "What do I need to say to revoke her powers?"

"You need to say something along the lines of 'you exist but you are not a witch'," replied Virgilia. "You can vary the words however you want, but you need to _concentrate_ while you're saying them or they will not work."

"That's it?" said Battler, surprised. He was expecting it to be a bit more complicated.

"That's it," nodded Virgilia.

"Er...okay," said Battler slowly. He cleared his throat and turned to Beato, declaring, _"Beato...a real and true mortal you may be, a witch you are not!"_

He wasn't sure just _where_ those words came from, but they seemed to have some sort of effect for there was a bright light surrounding them as Battler then proceeded to take everyone back...back in time to before the game was supposed to begin to prepare to fight...

* * *

_September 23, 1986_

Beato felt a hard _slam_ against her face as she hit the floor. She groaned and rubbed her head, struggling to sit up. She felt a _lot_ heavier than before...she realized with a sinking feeling this was because she was now mortal. As a witch, she felt light as a feather, unrestricted and unbound by human limits. Now, here she was, bound once again as a human... Unlike with Kinzo, however, she would not merely lose memory of her powers...they would vanish all together...

She opened up her eyes and looked around. These walls looked _very_ familiar...where was she?

"Kuwadorian," she muttered, slowly standing up, "Of course…"

She had been inside these walls far too long to not identify them properly. It was like a prison you grew accustomed to after violating parole one too many times.

"We're back," said a familiar voice.

"Gaap?" said Beato, turning to face the curly-haired woman who was standing alongside Virgilia, Ronove, and the Seven Stakes.

"It's been years since I've seen the insides of these walls," Virgilia mused, "Not a thing has changed."

Without warning, Beato felt a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped and fell to the floor. The pain was spreading quickly, down to her arms, to her legs, _everywhere_ all over her body, consuming her like fire. She struggled to breathe, but it was like drowning on dry land. She didn't even have enough oxygen to _scream_ from the growing agony.

She heard everyone crying out "Beato!" or "Lady Beatrice!" They were all surrounding her now. She was seeing stars, her head was about to burst open. _God_ it hurt so much...

"Battler...kun..." was the last thing to escape Beato's lips before everything faded to black.

* * *

_September 27, 1986_

Battler struck the alarm clock sitting on his dresser and muttered, "I'm up… I'm up…" He yawned and stretched out his arms before opening his eyes. He wasn't in the meta-world or on Rokkenjima. He was in his own room, safe and sound. He never thought he'd be so grateful to wake up to white walls in his _life._

"What a nightmare," he muttered, vowing this would be absolutely the _last_ time he would eat potato chips and ice cream before going to bed. Maybe it was also because of that junk food he felt a lot lighter now...

There was a knock on the door that startled him into sitting right up. The door opened and in came the one person he was most grateful to see.

"Kyrie!" gasped Battler, leaping out of bed. "I had the _worst_ nightmare of my _life!_ There were these witches that killed everyone, and I had to figure out who the real killer was, and—and there were these Seven Stakes of Purgatory that kept _stabbing_ people and—oh, and there was this crazy, ridiculous fantasy scene where these two witches were killing each other with towers and spears and—and people were drowning in jelly and getting squashed by cake, and at one point I was naked and in chains, and—and the worst part of it was, there was this witch that I actually began to have _feelings_ for just before I woke up! It was _horrible!"_

Kyrie smiled. "My, that _does_ sound like a nightmare indeed," she said. "Well, now you know not to eat junk food before bed."

"Now I see where you were coming from," sighed Battler, sitting back down on the bed.

"Don't get comfy for too long," said Kyrie as she began to leave the room. "You still have to get dressed for our visit to Rokkenjima."

Battler frowned. Wait...so it _wasn't_ a dream? He stood up. "Wait, what?" he said.

"Don't you remember?" said Kyrie. "Your grandfather called us on an emergency meeting a few days ago. He wanted us to arrive before everyone else to discuss the matters of his inheritance. We're leaving for the airport in fifteen minutes."

_Before everyone else..._

"Remind me again," said Battler. "What day is today?"

"The twenty-seventh of September," replied Kyrie. "Now hurry up and get dressed!" With that, she left the room and closed the door to give Battler some privacy.

Battler ran his hands through his hair. "Oh man," he breathed. "So it _wasn't_ a dream..."

Then, he realized: _The plan worked. It actually worked. Now I have one week to solve the murders before they occur._

He grinned and said, "Game, set, match. Prepare to go down, Bernkastel. I'm taking this game back for Beato!"

* * *

Two individuals...two former foes...neither one realizing this would be a time when they would need each other now more than ever...

* * *

_I'm wondering where you are and what you are doing now?_

_Are you at the other side of this never-ending sky?_

_--English translation of "Dear You (Vocal)" _


	2. Chapter 2

2

"I'm gonna _FAAAALLL!"_ cried Battler as he clutched on to the boat's railings for dear life. _"FALL, FALL, I'M GONNA FAAAAALLLLL!"_

"Tee-hee!" giggled Ange, who sat just across the deck with her parents. "We're not going _that_ fast, onii-chan! And it's not _that_ much farther!"

"It's no use trying to convince him of that, Ange," said Rudolf. "He inherited his mother's fear of being on just about _anything_ that moves! Why, I remember when he was younger, we took him on a rollercoaster and..."

As Rudolf launched into a nostalgic story, Battler felt a flame of anger. _Liar,_ he thought, no longer concentrating on the rocking notions of the waves. _I know what really happened—Asumu was not my mother. I don't know just who my real mother was, but you are lying when you say I inherited my fears from HER. Maybe while I'm on the island, I'll find out the truth. And when I do..._

Battler shook his head and closed his eyes, inhaling the salty sea air. No, that was not what he was going to Rokkenjima for. He had to focus on his main goal: Winning Beato's game back. Even if Beato herself could no longer participate...maybe he could go in and...

He sighed. Who was he kidding—apart from reviving Beato and setting up a date to come back, he had no real plan at all. He had no means or methods to find out who the real murderer might be. And he _especially_ did not want to orchestrate the murders himself when the day came...

"Glad to see you've calmed down," said Rudolf's voice. "We're just about there."

"Good," sighed Battler, concentrating on the journey up ahead. Not that much further now...

* * *

When the rocking motions of the boat finally stopped, Battler opened up his eyes. "Land!" he breathed, leaping off the boat before his family had time to get off, "Sweet, sweet land!"

He threw himself to the board and kissed the wet wood, ignoring Ange's giggles. "Onii-chan, you're silly!" He felt a hand grabbing him by the back of the neck and jerking him upright.

"Well, if it isn't Battler," said the voice of his cousin, Jessica. "Long time no see. How long has it been now—six years?"

Battler looked into the eyes of his cousin. To her, it had been six years. To him, it had been roughly around six _days_ or thereabouts. _If I don't win this game,_ he thought, _you will have to die. And I'm going to do whatever I can to prevent that._

Battler put on a smile and said, "Hello, Jessica! It's been too long!" His smile grew even wider at the sight of her well-endowment and he squealed, "Oooh, and you've gotten so _big!_ Nice, fat juicy tits..."

_POW POW POW!_

_Maybe I'm overdoing the happy act just a bit,_ thought Battler as the stars around him blended in with the blue sky up above. _I should probably tone it down._

He shrugged it off and leapt back up on his feet with a sheepish look on his face. The sound of Ange giggling at the sight caused an unexpected heavy feeling in his heart. Ange...if he didn't succeed...she would get caught up in all this, too. Currently, there was a flu bug going around Ange's school..._and Ange was not there to catch it..._now she was on the island, unaware of the eternal hell she may face if Battler did not succeed...

_I WILL succeed no matter how much work it takes over the week,_ Battler firmly resolved in his mind as he laughed and patted Ange on the head. Ange's smile fuelled his determination to succeed.

* * *

"Jessica," said Kyrie in the rose garden on the way to the mansion, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you get that bandage on your head?"

"This?" said Jessica, rubbing the white bandaged cloth surrounding her forehead. "Oh, it's just there to cover up an ugly goose egg. Yesterday, I was walking around the chapel and a roof shingle just fell and hit me on the head. But I'm okay," she quickly added. "It wasn't _that_ big and it doesn't hurt today. The bandage is just there until the swelling goes down."

"I'm glad to hear," said Rudolf. "How old _is_ that chapel, anyway? I remember it being around back when _we_ were kids, remember Krauss?"

"I remember," laughed Krauss. "I remember how you believed those ghost stories Eva and I used to tell you all the time. You were scared to even _look_ at the chapel!"

"Well," said Rudolf sheepishly as Kyrie stifled a laugh, "that was then, this is now. And I am a much braver, stronger man today!"

"In that case," said Krauss, "how about we go down to the chapel right now and check it out?"

"Ah," said Rudolf nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and stuffing the other in his pocket, "thanks but no thanks. If it's beginning to crumble, then it's obviously not safe, right?"

Krauss and Natsuhi shared a smile and snickered.

_Aunt Natsuhi... you went through so much hell in the last game,_ thought Battler sadly. _I promise to make it up to you._

Still, he couldn't help but wonder about the son she adopted who was supposedly killed...he had suspected her son really had died along with the servant when they fell off the cliff and into the ocean, and that the voice of her 'son' she had heard was in fact an excellent impression done by Erika to frame her for the murders. It was a clever move, he couldn't deny that...

He clenched his fists. It was clever, but _nasty._ Natsuhi did not deserve _any_ of this. What to do if she _was_ the murderer in _this_ game, though?

"Onii-chan?"

Battler turned at the motion of someone tugging at his sleeve. Ange looked into his eyes, her own eyes wide and concerned. "You look angry," she said, "Why do you look angry?"

"Probably because he didn't get a chance to feel me up," spoke up Jessica. "Right, Battler?"

Battler returned Jessica's smirk with a forced one of his own. "That's right," he said. "But that's fine by me; there'll be other girls."

"I pity the one who ends up with _you,"_ snickered Jessica.

"Now, Jessica, be nice," said Natsuhi sternly. "You haven't seen him in six years. He seems perfectly nice. He still has time to grow."

"_The question is,"_ thought Battler, "_Do I have time to win the game? At that time, I thought one week would be all the time I needed...now, it doesn't feel like enough."_

* * *

"Wow!" exclaimed Ange as she and Battler were lead into the guesthouse by Genji. "This is where we're sleeping?"

"Yes," said Genji, placing the two suitcases down next to the beds. "This is where you will be staying. I hope the two of you will be comfortable during your week here."

"I'm sure we will," said Battler, who threw himself down on the bed. "Ahh," he said out loud, feeling himself beginning to relax as he sank into the soft mattress ever so slightly. He was getting himself too wound up over this game; if he didn't allow himself to relax just a _little_ bit he would go mad from the stress. For now, he would temporarily take his mind off his task and focus on enjoying this rare, peaceful moment.

"Onii-chan," said Ange as she climbed onto the bed and lay next to Battler, "Why are you so serious now? You haven't been your usual goofy self."

"Oh, I was just tense about the airplane… _and_ the boat," said Battler nonchalantly, patting Ange's head. "All that matters now is that we have a week-long vacation from school, and we're here to relax."

He looked into those curious eyes and smiled. "You know," he said, "I hear two of our cousins are having a bit of a romance with the servants."

Ange wrinkled up her nose. "Eww! Genji's _old!"_ she protested.

Battler laughed, "No, I mean the _other_ servants. There are younger ones around here who are only a few years younger and older than me. Their names are Kanon and Shannon. And I think Jessica—"

Before he could finish that, the door to the guest house opened and in came Kumasawa. At least...it _looked_ like Kumasawa. Battler, however, sensed this was someone else...someone entirely different all together...

"Good day to you both," said Kumasawa with a bow. "I am Kumasawa, here to serve you. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"No thank you," said Ange, now sitting up and swinging her feet against the bed.

"Ange," said Kumasawa, "I would like to speak to your brother in private for a moment. Would you like to go see the mansion with your parents?"

Kumasawa met Battler's eyes as she spoke. He knew then it was Virgilia, here to talk to him about the success of the plan and what the next steps should be. He turned to Ange and said, "Go on ahead, Ange. I need some catching up to do."

Ange jumped off the bed and gave Battler a brief smile before skipping off outdoors. As Kumasawa closed the door behind Ange, Battler sighed, "That's my sister. She's so happy and carefree, and she has absolutely no clue of the danger she's in. You know how dangerous her situation is, don't you..._Virgilia."_

Kumasawa smiled. The golden butterflies frolicked around her and within a flash of light, her true figure appeared: The pale-haired, Southern Belle dressed Virgilia.

"Nothing gets past you anymore, does it Battler?" said Virgilia.

"After that elaborate set-up from our third game," said Battler, "nothing can fool me anymore."

"I see," said Virgilia, smiling. "Beato and I have taught you well."

Battler got up off the bed. "So what's the next order of business?" he asked. "Should I start investigating, or return to the meta-world?" He lightly chuckled, "I'm sure Lady Lambdadelta is ready to tear my head off by now!"

The smile fell off Virgilia's face and her expression grew serious. "Neither," she said. "The first thing I need you to do is come with me. I will take you to Beato."

"Beato?" said Battler. "So it worked—she is both alive and mortal?"

"Yes and yes," said Virgilia carefully.

"Oh," said Battler, hiding an inner sigh of relief he did not understand. "That's good, I suppose. Will Beato be able to help in planning out the next step?"

"Not quite," said Virgilia slowly. "I will take you on a path where we won't be seen. That path will lead you to Kuwadorian, where Beato is currently waiting."

* * *

Battler was led down a long, winding path surrounding the edges of the island. From what his memory could recall, he had never been down this path before, not on his previous visit six years ago, or on any of his other visits during the game. He vaguely remembered it from a previous game...

_That's right,_ he thought. _This path is from Aunt Rosa's flashback...when she was talking about how she killed Beato...but she really didn't... gah! If I try to sort out the logic behind THAT, my head will explode!_

As if she could read his mind, Virgilia spoke: "Does this path look at all familiar to you?"

"A little bit," said Battler, watching his step, careful not to tread on any treacherous cliffs. "Are we just about there?"

Virgilia stopped. "We just need to take this path through the forest," she said. "As long as you stick close to me, you won't get lost. I have memorized the path to the Kuwadorian one too many times to forget it."

As they began to take a turn into the forest, Battler said, "How can you guarantee no one back at the mansion is going to miss me?"

"As Kumasawa, I told them you might want to explore the island for a little bit to recollect your memory," said Virgilia, taking a left turn. "That should satisfy them for the time being."

"What would I want to recollect my memory of?" asked Battler. "This sin I supposedly committed that has everyone stuck where they are now?"

The sun shone through the trees and onto Virgilia who said, "You still don't remember your sin?"

"I'm beginning to," said Battler, ducking under a nearby tree branch. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle: The pieces are beginning to pile up, but I haven't put them all together."

"So what _do_ you remember?" asked Virgilia, taking a left between the two oak trees.

"It's nothing," muttered Battler. "It's just something stupid I said when I last came here six years ago."

"It might be stupid to _you,"_ said Virgilia. "But it might not be stupid to the person you made the promise to."

Battler leaned against a tree. "Well," he said, "I remember promising Shannon I would come back for her on a white horse." His face turned a light shade of pink, highlighting his face in the pouring sunlight.

"And that's all?" said Virgilia, raising an eyebrow.

"I might have said some other embarrassing stuff," said Battler, who stopped leaning and resumed walking. "But that's what stands out in my mind the most. But what would anything dumb I said six years ago have to do with the events of today?"

"You'd be surprised," murmured Virgilia. "Ah, here we are—just one more turn."

Virgilia and Battler took one last turn past the trees and found themselves in front of a long-winding gate. Virgilia lead Battler to a gap between the fence and the giant oak tree, a gap big enough to just squeeze right through.

"Wow," said Battler as Virgilia lead him through the gap and down the path leading up to the mansion. "So Kuwadorian really is every bit as grand as in Aunt Rosa's tale..."

"It is," said Virgilia, leading him around the mansion. "The ivy is still there, as are the roses—sweet, beautiful roses that have never been seen beyond these gates yet remain trapped. And look, there's the pavilion where you may have seen Rosa and Beato—when she was Beatrice—talking together. Over here is the path leading to the door."

Battler felt an overwhelming sensation. This place was so _huge._ It would be easy to get lost outdoors for _hours._ He could only imagine what the inside must look like.

* * *

Indoors, it was not _quite_ as spectacular as the outside, but it was still breathtaking. It resembled the Ushiromiya mansion in many ways, while standing as a mansion of its own. Down a winding corridor, Battler was led to a winding staircase with stained glass windows giving the rose garden a multi-coloured view. As Virgilia led the way, he felt like a prince arriving to awake the princess from her slumber with true love's first kiss.

Battler was quick to laugh this thought off. He was only going to discuss a new strategy with Beato, and that was it. There would be no _time_ for romance, or anything of the sort! Besides...would he really _want_ to have a romance with _her?_

When they reached the top of the stairs, Virgilia guided him down the hallway to the left. It had plain, simple walls with the usual wooden boarding, but it only contributed to the feel of this being the home of a humble, rich person.

Battler could tell which room Beato was in long before Virgilia led him to the door—it was the one with Ronove and Gaap standing guard on either side. At the sight of Battler, Ronove smiled and said, "Ah, good day to you, Master Battler, and to you too, Lady Virgilia."

"Good day, Ronove," said Virgilia. "I have brought Battler to see Beato. Is she any better from the last time I was here?"

_Better?_

"Her condition has not changed," said Gaap, no longer the bouncy, cheerful person she once was, now solemn and serious. "She's still..." She looked over Virgilia's shoulder and saw Battler. She said, "Are you _sure_ you want to see her? It's a pitiful sight."

"Oh, I think I've already seen her at her most pitiable moments," shrugged Battler. "She couldn't possibly be any worse off, could she?"

Virgilia, Ronove, and Gaap exchanged a glance that seemed almost sad. Battler had a sinking feeling that Beato wasn't quite as well off as he thought she was...he then remembered something Virgilia had said: _"I have known former witches who had their powers revoked and reverted back to mortal. They said the process is excruciating..."_

Just how excruciating could the process be? Beato wasn't in so much pain she couldn't even _talk,_ was she?

"We'll just let you in," said Gaap quickly. "Then you can see for yourself."

She opened the door for Battler. Virgilia went in first and gestured for Battler to follow, which he did. The bedroom itself looked very nice—the walls were a pale beige shade, but the kind that would change color under certain lights. The carpet was red and patterned with Persian designs. And the canopy bed had blankets the color of gold.

The Seven Stakes, who appeared to have been working hard at something, looked up when Battler came walking in. Battler looked around them before seeing Mammon and Lucifer sitting in a chair on either side of the bed. Battler was about to ask what they were doing when he saw Lucifer applying a washcloth to the pillow. He took a few steps further and gasped when he saw it wasn't a _pillow_—it was a person's forehead...and that person was...

"Beato," Battler whispered, feeling as though he had been punched in the stomach and was having the air knocked out of him. This woman lying in that bed...she couldn't _possibly_ be Beato. Her hair, once lustrous and smooth, now lay oiled and in tangles. Her skin was sickly pale, the sole exception being her face which was flushed from fever. The circles under her closed eyes were a deep purple. And the thinness of her arms indicated she had lost more weight than was healthy—they were not downright skeletal, but they certainly weren't a healthy kind of thin. The only indication that this person was even _alive_ was the slow, steady motions of her chest moving up and down beneath the blankets, her body occasionally shivering as though breathing itself had become too painful.

Battler shook his head. This couldn't be the right person. He must've gone to the wrong room. "Beato," he whispered once more.

"I know what you're thinking," spoke up Virgilia, nearly startling Battler after nearly a minute in silence. "And yes...I am very sorry to say this child is indeed Beato."

Battler was trembling. After bemoaning the death of someone he never knew he could care for so much...after feeling the relief that she was finally back in this world...he was now struck by the revelation that by bringing her back to life and revoking her powers—which he thought would _help_ her—he had hurt her greatly.

"It's not as bad as it looks," said Mammon, standing up from her chair. "Lady Virgilia told us this is perfectly normal for witches reverting back to mortals. She's supposed to lose a _bit_ of weight, but she'll gain it all back soon. And she's _supposed_ to get sick. Her body is just adjusting to a system it hasn't used in so long. So it's not like she's going to be sick _forever."_

Not even this could alleviate the heavy feeling Battler felt in his heart. "How long has she been like this?" he softly asked.

"Since the day you sent us back here," replied Virgilia.

Battler turned to face Virgilia. "And this was _how_ many days ago?" he asked.

"Four days, give or take," said Virgilia.

_Four days...she's been like this for four days...and I wasn't here..._

"How much longer is she going to _be_ like this?" Battler asked quietly.

"It's anyone's guess," said Virgilia, who was beginning to look about as sad as Battler was feeling. "But I would say around another week or so."

Battler looked back over at Beato's sleeping face. Most people looked peaceful and content in their sleep. Beato looked anything _but_ content. "You said the process was excruciating," he said. "Just how bad is it exactly?"

Virgilia hesitated, as though not wanting to dampen Battler's spirits even further. She finally seemed to have decided he needed to know the truth and spoke: "I cannot speak from personal experience. The few former witches I have spoken to said they would have occasional episodes of pain in between resting. They said it feels worse than being on fire _and_ having their bones broken combined."

Battler's memory flew back to when he was six...he had gotten a little overconfident and thought he could make it to the top of a tree by himself, only to find out too late he wasn't as capable as he thought he was when he fell and broke his arm. When he tried to move his arm, he screamed in agony and was in absolute discomfort until his parents had taken him to the nearest hospital. He then thought back to when he was four: He had found his father's lighter in a drawer and, not knowing what it was, played around with it until he accidentally lit his arm on fire. Luckily, his mother (or mother-figure) had come rushing in at the sound of his screams and had it put out and treated before it could leave behind a real mark, but it still hurt like hell. He tried imagining a pain worse than either of those feelings combined...but couldn't.

"And does Beato have episodes of pain?" asked Battler in the same, quiet tone.

Virgilia turned to the sleeping figure. "Yes," she said. "Beato is asleep most of the time, but once in a while she will be awake for about ten minutes at latest. Sometimes—at least two or three times a day—she will wake up or suddenly double over in agony. She coughs during these episodes and doesn't have enough air to speak or scream, but the look in her eyes, and the way she clutches the sheets and tightly holds her furnitures' hands, makes it clear she's in pain. Gaap _still_ has the purple fingernail indents in her hands to show for it. Sadly, the only thing that _can_ be done is to sit by her side so she isn't alone until it is over. Then, she collapses and falls asleep."

Battler felt himself tremble even harder. "I did this to her," he whispered, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "I put her through this pain."

"It's not your fault," spoke up Mammon. "She would've gone through this even if Virgilia had been the one to revoke her powers."

"But she _will_ get better," piped up Belphegor. "She will endure the _worst_ agony of her life over the next week, but then it will be over and done with."

"Mmm..."

Battler was alerted. "She's stirring," he said, rushing over to the chair where Mammon once sat. He sat down and sure enough, Beato's eyes were slowly beginning to open.

"Beato," said Battler softly, gently stroking one of her cheeks, which were damp from being cooled off by a washcloth. "It's me. Can you hear me?"

Beato's eyes opened even further. Battler could see the blue in her eyes clearly now. That was the one thing her affliction could not change.

"B...Battler..." she muttered before her eyes closed once more. Battler's spirits had been dashed, but only slightly. She at least had the strength to open her eyes for only a moment...that had to be a good sign.

"She often drifts in and out of sleep," explained Lucifer. "So it's nothing unusual."

"I see," said Battler quietly. He stood up. "Thank you for taking me to her," he said to Virgilia. "It's hard to see her like this, but...at least she's okay. Or will be soon."

"I thought it would be hard for you," said Virgilia. "But I felt you _had_ to come over, for both your sake _and_ Beato's."

"Beato's?" said Battler, surprised.

"Yes," said Virgilia. She managed to crack a tiny smile. "She's been saying your name in her sleep for the past few days now."

Battler felt blush creep up on the back of his neck. "Has she now?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, it's _so_ romantic," sighed Asmodeus. "She's been dreaming of her lost love!"

The mood was lightened ever so slightly when the other stakes softly giggled and Battler's embarrassment grew. "I—I'm not her lover!" he said quickly but quietly in a voice to not wake Beato. "We...we _used_ to be enemies...but now we're on the same side...sort of. And that is all."

Asmodeus smiled at her sisters knowingly. _They_ knew the truth, even if Battler himself did not.

"Anyway," said Virgilia, who herself was trying not to smile even further, "the former witches I talked to said the one thing that helped them get through was having someone they cared for deeply by their side. I was hoping that maybe you would somehow give her the will to fight this."

"Yeah, I...I guess I do," said Battler awkwardly. He glared at Asmodeus. "And you _don't_ have to be in love with someone to make them _want_ to fight."

"_Suuure," _said Asmodeus with the same amorous smile on her face.

Battler changed the subject: "Have you been to the meta-world yet, Virgilia?"

Virgilia shook her head. "No. I've been here taking care of Beato for the past few days. Her furniture would try to chase me out and insist I leave, but..." Her eyes seemed to almost shine over as though to reveal an inner sadness. "I felt I _had_ to stay. She...was my disciple, after all. I suppose, though, we could visit in another hour or so. In the mean time, you had better go home to your family before they get suspicious. A simple route home would be for you to just walk around the cliffs of the island until the Ushiromiya mansion is in sight."

Battler nodded. "Okay. I promise to come by later tonight. Well...I guess I'll see you in a little while."

He turned to leave. Even as he left Kuwadorian, even as he took the short walk through the forest, even as he took the winding path around the cliffs facing the ever-lasting sea, he could not get the mental image of a bed-ridden Beato out of his mind.

Battler had plenty to fight for. He had to fight to save the ones he loved...and in order to _help_ the ones he loved, he would have to _hurt _them...in more ways than one.

* * *

_Would you mind if I hurt you?_

_Understand that I need to_

_Wish that I had other choices than to harm the one I love_

_--"What Have You Done", Within Temptation_


	3. Chapter 3

**Bold when not in author's notes = Red**

_Italics when not in emphasis or thinking = Blue_

_**Bold and italics = Gold**_

3

"Gaah!" cried out Lambdadelta while pounding her fists on her chair in the meta-world. "How could he _do_ that?! How could he? _I'm_ the one who made her a witch! _I'm_ the one who says if she stays or not! How...could...he...he had no right! We should have him drawn, hung, and quartered!"

"Actually," said Bernkastel, looking up from her cup of tea, "he had every right to do what he did."

Lambdadelta's jaw dropped. "Bern..."

"Think about it," said Bernkastel. "When Virgilia asked if you held any responsible over Beato, what did you say? You said 'I hold no responsibility over the dead'. Therefore, you surrendered all responsibility for her, giving Battler every right to do as he pleased."

"That—that _meanie!"_ burst out Lambdadelta. "She _tricked_ me! She tricked me, she tricked me, she _tricked me!"_

"Now stop your whining, Lady Lambdadelta," spoke Virgilia as she appeared in a burst of gold. "You have to admit, it was a clever tactic on my part, no? It enabled Battler to not only bring Beato back to life, but also to revoke her powers. Because you gave up holding all responsibility over her, Battler could do whatever he liked and not be punished for it."

"That's right," said Battler, who showed up exactly one second later in a similar burst of gold. "Beato no longer remains on the chessboard. It's just us now."

Lambdadelta opened and shut her mouth for a minute and a half before saying, "That's right—I hold no responsibility over her, hence I am not the one who made her suffer so I have nothing to feel guilty over, unlike _you_. Oh, I know what witches go through to become mortal, all right—it's a slow, agonizing process. She must be hurting _soooo_ bad!"

She giggled in a manner that made Battler clench his fists even tighter. '_Keep it together',_ he mentally reminded himself, gradually unclenching his fists. '_She's trying to make you mad so you can't concentrate. Beato's not going to be in this pain forever. She'll be herself again in just a week. Now focus!'_

"Where's the rest of your team?" said Battler coolly. "Shouldn't they be here showing their utmost support?"

"If you are talking about the Furudo girl," said Bernkastel, "she is temporarily out of the game until she can get her act together. She," Bernkastel smiled, "had a bit of a breakdown upon learning of what you had done."

Battler smiled. "Did she, now?"

"If you thought _I_ had it bad just now, you should've seen _Erika!"_ laughed Lambdadelta. "She started screaming about how it was _our_ fault and _she_ was working with incompetents who knew nothing about the detective genre!"

"So I gave her a bit of time to cool off," said Bernkastel. "She'll be back...eventually...when I decide she is fit to participate again. In the mean time, let's get down to business." She tilted her head and looked at Battler curiously. "This new strategy of yours...just how do you plan to go about doing it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Battler, leaning back in his chair casually and crossing his legs. "I set back time to one week before the murders begin so I can figure out which of my family is trying to kill everyone and stop them from doing it."

"And _how_ do you plan on stopping them from doing it if or when you catch them?" challenged Bernkastel. _"If_ you figure out who it is before the actual date, what do you plan on doing? Do you plan on telling everyone in your family they're going to get killed when nothing out of the ordinary has happened yet? Do you plan on confronting this so-called 'murderer' by threatening to turn them over to the police before they've had a chance to do anything wrong or even _thought_ about doing anything wrong? Or do you plan on waiting until something _has_ happened, until someone in your family _dies,_ and then confronting an already deranged lunatic, who may see you as a threat and put _you_ at the top of his or her list?"

Battler uncrossed his legs, feeling less confident than he had just a minute ago. "I haven't figured that out yet," he said calmly. "What I _am_ going to do, though, is flip the chess board around, try seeing it from each family member's perspectives and figure out what possible motive _they_ would have for murder. Right now, I am going to rule out George—he would have nothing to gain from the murders. Take the murder of Shannon in the first case: Even if he never truly cared for her, even if he were just using her to get closer so he could kill her without suspicion, what would he have to gain? The matter of the family fortune is between Kinzo and his children, _not_ between Kinzo and his grandchildren."

"Well done." Bernkastel mused. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"

"Yes, actually," said Battler, gaining a bit more confidence. "I would like to state that _it would be virtually impossible for any of my cousins to sneak out of the guest house without waking up even one person. Therefore, it is unlikely they could have committed murder."_

To his dismay, Lambdadelta replied, **"Everyone sleeping in the guest house was out like a light. Nothing could have woken them up. Not even the sound of a door opening or closing."**

Battler argued, _"Maria can be eliminated because she does not have the physical strength required to commit half of these brutal murders, nor does she have the motive."_

"**Anyone can pick up a scythe and go wild with it,"** fired Lambdadelta. **"Children are not automatically innocent. Hee-hee-hee-hee!"**

"_I hate it when they laugh in red_," muttered Battler before declaring: _"Jessica would have nothing to gain from the murders either._ _This is between Kinzo and his children; all cousins can stay out of this."_

Lambdadelta yawned and swung her feet against her chair. "Bern," she said lazily, "when are we going to get that Furudo girl back in the game? She made things so much more interesting."

"Patience, Lambdadelta," said Bernkastel calmly. "We can still fight back. We just need to, as Battler puts it, 'flip the chessboard around'."

"All right," muttered Lambdadelta. "Well, um...have you ever thought that maybe they have some sort of hidden motive you haven't uncovered yet?"

"I haven't out ruled that entirely," said Battler, still at the top of his game. "I just need to think about it some more." Then, "There's the matter of Kanon and Shannon. They serve as furniture to Kinzo, who does not give a second thought to them. They would not inherit anything from his death, or the deaths of the other family. Their past murders were conducted in such a way that they could not have faked it and then proceeded to kill the others."

"While it _is_ possible for someone to have faked their death," said Lambdadelta, "you are overlooking the lengths to which they would have to go. How can someone fake having half their face torn off, hmm? Or how can they fake getting their stomach ripped out and stuffed with candy?"

"_The first one could be handled with a mixture of mud and a bit of blood from the other victims,"_ replied Battler. _**"However, no one faked their death in the first twilight of the second game. They all died for real. **__But it is still possible someone else faked their death later on."_

"All these flying colours are making me dizzy," said Bernkastel, standing up. "Now that you have told us the people who are at the _bottom_ of your suspect list—_not _those who _could not_ be the murderer—tell us who is at the _top._ Of all your relatives, who would have the strongest motive? Who would have the means, motive, _and_ opportunity?"

Battler looked across the room. "Possibly one of the adults," he said. "Not the servants—by that, I mean it could be one of my aunts or uncles."

"What about your parents?" Bernkastel asked while sitting up straight. "Can you imagine your father standing above your weak, defenceless relatives, caressing a knife in his hands before plunging it? Or can you picture your stepmother standing above your weak father, begging for mercy, a glint of malice shining in her eyes right before going in for the kill?"

_Stay calm,_ Battler told himself in an attempt to stop trembling with anger. _She's just trying to goad you into losing your temper. Don't pay any attention to what she says and you'll be fine._

"I'm not going to rule them out entirely," said Battler calmly. "I'll keep them in mind."

Bernkastel smiled. "My, this _is_ like a comedy, isn't it," she mused. "Acting on impulse, you plunge right into an opportunity to save your family with absolutely _no_ plan whatsoever."

"Yeah," said Lambdadelta, smirking. "Beato could come up with a plan _better_ than that. If she wasn't busy being sick, that is."

"Stop it," said Virgilia suddenly, _"Both_ of you."

"Let me guess," said Bernkastel, drumming her fingers on the edge of her seat handles. "The Game Master himself does not have a plan, yet his instructor does? Do tell us of this plan, Virgilia."

Virgilia looked Bernkastel straight in the eye. "The plan for now," she said, "is to lie low and remain inconspicuous until the time is right. Battler will ask fairly innocent questions in hopes of tricking someone into confessing their true feelings for the rest of the household. When he finds the person who is most likely the killer, _then_ he will strike. Until then, he will act as though he knows nothing."

"Whoever said him knowing nothing was an _act?"_ cracked Lambdadelta. She snickered until Bernkastel elbowed her. She glared at Bernkastel before sighing, "Oh, very well. Do what you like. Just _don't_ trick us like that again, or it could be _your_ turn to have your powers revoked. Who would win for Beato _then,_ I wonder, hmm?"

Lambdadelta disappeared. Bernkastel looked at both Virgilia and Battler. "I hope the two of you know what you're doing," she said. "The probability of a miracle such as this was zero. It would be a shame to see you waste that miracle."

And then, Bernkastel vanished, leaving Battler and Virgilia. Battler sighed and put his head in his hands. "My God, what have I gotten us into?" he muttered. "It _seemed_ like a good idea at the time, but now I'm in over my head. I have no clue where to start, or what to look for. And if I don't solve this by the time the day arrives...Ange might be killed." He lifted his head up. "Thank you for helping me back there, Virgilia."

"It is no problem at all," said Virgilia. "That _should_ be your plan for the time being, anyway: Lie low for now. Play detective later. The clues will come naturally if you stop looking for them."

"Sounds wonderful," muttered Battler, although he could not _begin_ to imagine how this was supposed to be helpful. "What should part of my plan to 'lie low' include?"

"It could be spending time with your sister," said Virgilia casually. "Or it could be taking the time to stop by to see Beato as often as you can. I'm sure that would speed up her recovery process."

Battler sat up straight. "Is she still asleep?" he asked.

"For now, yes," said Virgilia. "But she could wake up fairly soon. The amount of time she stays up for is getting longer. It's a slow process, but it does have its end. Keep that in mind, and do not let Lady Lambdadelta's taunting get to you. I can see the flash of anger in your eyes when she starts dangling your weaknesses in front of your face, and she can, too. Stop reacting to what she says, or else you will not be able to focus."

"I'm _trying,"_ sighed Battler. "But it's so _hard."_

"Oh, just think of her taunting as Beato's taunting from when she was the Game Master," said Virgilia, smiling. "Taunts full of hot air and nothing else."

Battler had to laugh at that, although he felt a bit guilty in doing so. "Well, then," he said, "shall we be off?"

Off... to a future of uncertainty…

Which curtain would be raised on the night of the murders—a curtain of comedy, or a curtain of tragedy?

* * *

_At the first time, I do my best to try again  
against the inevitable tragedy._

_In the second time, I become disgusted  
towards the inevitable tragedy._

_The third time, disgust is overwhelmed into painfulness.  
But by the seventh time, this all becomes a farce comedy._

_--Frederica Bernkastel_


	4. Chapter 4

4

In the dark, the roses had gone from shades of pink and red to shades of blue and white. Battler observed this as he made his way through the gate to Kuwadorian. It was funny how something could be one colour in the day...and another during the night...it all depended on the person's perspective.

Battler knocked on the front door and waited. He hoped Beato was awake right now...but if she was, would she _want_ to see him? Would she willingly see the one responsible for her suffering?

Finally, the door opened and there stood Ronove, who smiled politely. "Good evening, Master Battler," he said. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, so far," said Battler. "Is Beato awake?"

"Well," said Ronove, "I heard some talking from the other side of her bedroom door, so I would assume yes. Please come on in."

Battler felt his stomach tie up in knots as he walked in through the door. Beato was awake...now he had a chance to talk to her. But what should he _say? _Would she be in the mood to discuss the next game? Would she give Battler grief for putting her through this hell? Or would she be happy to see him? Battler tried to search through his head for the right thing to say, but all that came to mind was, '_I like muffins.'_

_Well, it's better than nothing,_ thought Battler as he was led up the winding staircase. _It's a good ice-breaker. When in doubt, say you like muffins._

* * *

"So where are Virgilia and Gaap?" Battler asked Ronove as he was led down the hall to Beato's room.

"They are in the kitchen right now, preparing a bit of supper for Lady Beatrice," explained Ronove. "Her appetite is not particularly well, but that's to be expected. She might go right back to sleep by the time they come up with her supper, but they are going to prepare a bit of something for her on the off chance she's awake and hungry."

They stopped at the door at the end of the hall. Fragments of a conversation could be heard, causing Battler to feel a bit of excitement. He said, "Well, Ronove, I should be all right from here. It has been a pleasure talking to you."

Ronove smiled and said, "Good evening to you, Master Battler."

Battler smiled back and turned to the door. He realized it was open by just a crack. He heard the voices speak: "So you've been having strange dreams, Lady Beatrice?"

"Yes," spoke up the voice Battler was glad to hear once more. "It's really strange, but...I had this dream where I woke up and...Battler was there." She softly laughed. "But it was just wishful thinking, right?"

Battler decided to take this as his cue to come in. He gently pushed the door open and came walking in, about to say something, but then froze. Now, he hadn't frozen up because something was _wrong;_ rather, because the situation was a bit...awkward, to say the least. Beato was sitting up in bed with Asmodeus applying a wet sponge to her back. Her nightgown lay at her waist, exposing _much_ more of her back than her dress had. Lucifer was even there to help Beato hold up a towel to her chest.

When the two made eye contact, Battler suddenly felt self-conscious. She was not entirely naked, but he felt as though he had just walked in on her changing. He said, "Uh...hi. Glad to see you're back."

At this, Beato's face flushed and she turned her head away. Battler had a feeling that in this case, her fever was only a _minor_ factor of her reddening face. Beato seemed to lack the pride and confidence she once had, that was for certain.

"Hey, c'mon," said Battler cheerfully, hoping to lighten up the atmosphere. "It's just me—it's your furniture, remember? You don't feel shame at exposing your body to _furniture,_ right?"

He was surprised to hear Beato speak in a soft, low voice: "You are not furniture."

Battler wasn't sure what to make of this remark. Did this mean Beato acknowledged him as the Endless Sorcerer and viewed him as somehow superior to her? Or had she suddenly developed a newfound modesty? Or did she just simply have a new respect for him?

"So," said Asmodeus, who was all too happy to get up off the bed, "Lucifer, how about we leave these two alone for a bit, hmm? I'm sure Lady Beatrice can hold the blankets up by herself now, right?"

Lucifer helped Beato adjust the towel to a degree that she would be capable of holding up and covering her chest by herself. "You don't have to leave," said Beato quickly. "You can stay longer."

"My hands are getting sore," said Asmodeus. "I'm sure Battler wouldn't mind doing my job for me, would you?"

Battler sighed and walked over to the bed, taking the sponge from Asmodeus' hand. He wanted to see Beato, and now he had his chance. This was going to be _extremely_ awkward, but he could handle it...hopefully.

"It's pretty simple," said Asmodeus. "You just dip the sponge in the water, wring some of it out, and rub the parts affected. In order..."

"I know how it's done," said Battler quickly, raising a hand. "I've done it before with Ange. So which kind is it?"

"It's a hot sponge bath," replied Asmodeus, getting off the bed. "You know how it's done, right?"

"Right," nodded Battler.

Asmodeus and Lucifer exchanged a smile. Battler could tell they were doing this on purpose. He hated them for that. "We'll be back in a while," said Asmodeus in a sing-song voice. "Onee-sama, what do you say we go brew some tea?"

"_I'll_ be the one to do it," said Lucifer in a tone fitting to the sin she represented as the two walked out of the room together. _"I'm_ the expert at it."

"You just say that 'cuz you're older!" protested Asmodeus, closing the door behind them, leaving Battler and Beato behind.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Battler said, "So, uh...I guess I'll have to start." He took the sponge and dipped it into the water. He pulled it out and squeezed the excess water.

If Battler had been hoping getting the procedure started would ease up the tension, he had been wrong. It was his turn for his face to get flushed as he sponged off Beato's body. He remembered a daydream from when he was thirteen—a scenario not too different from this where a woman who was fatally ill longed to be in his arms and thoroughly enjoyed his golden touch in a luxurious sponge bath. And now that he was dealing with the real thing, it was anything but what he had dreamed it to be.

The only sound that could be heard was the wind softly howling outside. If there was any activity beyond the door, then it was being done very quietly to not disturb Beato. Battler had moved on to her back when she spoke. "Well? Aren't you going to laugh? Laugh at what I've become? Laugh at how I've been weakened to this state you can see me in—where I'm too weak to take care of myself?"

"Of course not," said Battler calmly, gently massaging her back with the sponge. "That would be unnecessary and cruel when you are sick. Get better soon, okay? I want to see you go back to being your old self. You're a lot more interesting when you're tricking me and making me go wild. I promise I'll come by to visit at least twice a day."

There was a second or two of silence before Beato stiffly said, "That's nice of you."

Battler winced when one of his hands accidentally touched her back—it was hot to the touch. He quickly applied it back to the sponge and kept rubbing. "I'm going to solve the mystery 'old-school' style," explained Battler. "I will keep witches and magic out of it as much as I can. How does this argument sound to you—arguing that witches exist, but aren't the cause of the murders?"

"That sounds reasonable," said Beato, who sounded as though she were about to drift right off to sleep.

Battler moved back to where he had started—her face—and dabbed at her cheeks. "You'll need all the luck you can get against Bernkastel and her allies," said Beato. "They're tough opponents."

Battler laughed, "Think I haven't noticed? Here, let me get a towel so you don't chill." He put the sponge aside, took up a towel, and lightly dried Beato off with it. He could swear he felt a spark as he rubbed the soft fabric against her skin. "How about I change you into a new nightgown? This one feels a bit wet."

Beato nodded. Battler got off the bed and went over to her closet, where he chose a fairly light nightgown. He walked over and said, "Well, um...I guess I'll be the one to undress you."

Part of him was tempted to sneak just a peek, but he knew, in spite of his fascination with the female body that he had explored with the magazines his father _thought_ were in a safe hiding place, it would be rude to peek at a woman in such an immodest state without her permission. Avoiding a position where he would accidentally see anything, he slipped the current nightgown off over her head and quickly slipped the next nightgown on, slipped Beato's arms through the holes, and pulled it the rest of the way down.

"There," said Battler. "Now you're in a much more modest state." He took her by the shoulders and gently lowered her onto the bed. She turned her head away from him, but he could see her looking at him with the corner of her eyes.

"Do you feel better now?" asked Battler as he set the various towels aside.

"Yes," said Beato, looking away. "Thank you...Battler."

Battler sat down on the bed and gently stroked her dampened cheeks, wiping off a few strands of wet hair that clung to them. His head turned sharply at the sound of the door opening. Gaap and Virgilia came walking in, Gaap holding the tray with Beato's dinner. She dropped it when she saw the sight of Battler sitting just above Beato caressing her cheeks. "Oh _my,"_ she gasped, not bothering to hide her amusement by the situation. "You two look cozy."

"I was just leaving," said Battler quickly, sprinting off the bed.

"Looks like Asmodeus and Lucifer have been playing matchmaker," laughed Gaap. "I thought _they_ were the ones giving Beato her sponge bath tonight. But...oh, does that mean _you...?"_

"Now Gaap," said Virgilia, who couldn't help but smile, "a sponge bath is perfectly innocent. I'm sure Battler was just saying goodnight, weren't you?"

"Uh, yeah!" laughed Battler, tugging at his collar. "Of course I was!"

Gaap looked at him curiously. "But to sponge bathe her, you would have to see her..."

"Gaap," said Virgilia, "look at the mess you made when you dropped the tray. Why don't you go back downstairs and get a new dish?"

"Certainly, Lia," said Gaap. She bent down and picked up the tray, gathering bits of the food that had spilled on the floor with her hand. She smiled knowingly at Battler and Beato and went off.

"You'll have to excuse Gaap," said Virgilia. "She's in an especially _good_ mood. And we all know how dangerous she is when she's in a good mood." With a twinkle in her eye, she said, "I think it's time for you to leave anyway because it looks like Beato is getting bashful."

"_Teacher_," muttered Beato, rolling over on her side.

"Beato? Bashful? Never!" laughed Battler. "But I guess I should be leaving anyway. So...see you again, Beato."

"See you again," Beato murmured as Battler left the room. "I've heard that somewhere before..."

As soon as the sound of footsteps grew faint, Virgilia said, "The next time he comes over, you should show more appreciation."

Beato propped herself up with her pillow in a half-sitting up half-lying position and said coolly, "I don't need his charity."

"Now stop it with your foolish pride," said Virgilia sternly. "That was what got you into this in the first place. Stop regarding him as your 'enemy'; we have been guiding him to the truth all along, so stop thinking of him as someone you're in a silly competition with."

"Isn't _this_ a silly competition?" snapped Beato.

"This has gone beyond that now," said Virgilia. "This is now full-fledged _war._ Now, if Battler fails to win, his family will continue to be trapped in this endless loop you have created. His sister is now dragged into this."

"So now there's a new..." Beato began to say, but was cut off suddenly by a sudden sharp pain in her chest, causing her to cough uncontrollably. It was starting again; it didn't feel so bad _now,_ but within a matter of seconds...

"Beato?" she heard Virgilia's concerned voice call out, "Beato!"

Beato coughed and gasped for air, feeling the pain spread and overtake her. She felt the sensation of being on fire while her bones were being broken piece by piece, the agony of slowly being burnt and crushed alive at once. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling hot tears pour out. _Please let it end,_ was the only thing going through her mind. _Please kill me now, please let me die, PLEASE make this pain END, KILL ME if you have to, just PLEASE makes this go AWAY..._

Beato was vaguely aware of someone—she supposed it was Virgilia—taking her hand into hers and saying, "Just hang in there, Beato. It will be over soon."

_I hope so,_ thought Beato, squeezing Virgilia's hand tightly. She wondered why she was gasping for air even though she knew it was useless...it was probably just a reflex action done without thinking. She didn't know _how_ long her pain lasted for before beginning to lessen...until at last, she fell into the merciful black...

* * *

"Onii-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you look so serious?"

Battler looked over at Ange, who was in her pyjamas and curled up into a ball on her side of the bed. "Oh, I just have a lot on my mind," he said truthfully.

"Like what?" Ange asked.

Nearby, their parents were playing poker. "At his age, he's probably thinking of girls," said Rudolf. "I know girls were all I had on my mind back then!"

"_Dad,"_ muttered Battler as the image of Beato's bare back began to come back to his mind.

"Ah, but I'll bet he has _one_ particular girl on his mind," spoke up Kyrie. "He's just too shy to tell us whom."

Battler was beginning to feel downright uncomfortable. Kyrie had been absolutely spot-on, but he couldn't let her know that. The image of her back was replaced by the look of weariness in her eyes as he stroked her cheeks. She had put him through a great deal of mental torture in leading him to the truth...and yet the thought of her suffering made him feel sick and enraged.

"Kyrie," said Battler, sitting up, "do you think it is possible to hate someone and still care for them?"

"Of course," said Kyrie. "That's how it was with me and your father." She playfully punched him in the arm and said, "He had a way of driving me wild, but deep down I truly cared for him. In spite of his vices, he is an otherwise good person whom I enjoy spending time with the most."

"And me too, right mommy?" piped up Ange.

"Right, Ange," smiled Kyrie.

Battler slumped down onto the bed. He had never realized it before...but this feeling he had, this achiness of the thought of Beato in pain...was called 'caring'. He actually _cared_ if something happened to Beato.

His eyelids were getting heavy. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was how complicated caring for someone could be.

* * *

_And if I could hold on through the tears and the laughter_

_Would it be beautiful? Or just a beautiful disaster?_

_--"Beautiful Disaster", Kelly Clarkson_


	5. Chapter 5

5

"Good morning, Ronove," said Battler as he strolled through the rose garden of Kuwadorian. He had managed to get up early enough to have a quick breakfast and sneak out without his family noticing. He knew he couldn't stay out long before he was missed, but he would take advantage of what time he had to keep his promise to Beato.

"Morning, Master Battler," said Ronove, who was sitting out on the pavilion. "Did you have a nice sleep last night?"

"Oh yeah, I slept like a baby," yawned Battler, stretching out his arms. "How's Beato doing?"

"She's getting better gradually," said Ronove, taking a sip of his tea. "Her fever is down, and she stays awake just a bit longer. But then again, she only woke up an hour ago, so I can't say if she'll still be awake when you go up to see her."

Battler began to walk off to the front doors. "In the same place?" he called out over his shoulder.

"In the same place," repeated Ronove. He took another sip, thinking to himself how nice it would be if Battler were to realize the true reason he felt drawn to coming back.

* * *

When Battler arrived at Beato's room, he was relieved to find she was not in the middle of another sponge bath; this time, she was sitting up in bed having her hair brushed by Virgilia. For a moment, the sight reminded Battler of back when Beato was a living corpse and couldn't do _anything,_ and much like now, had Virgilia brushing her hair for her. Thankfully, she was very much alive, as exhibited by her eyes trying to look at anywhere _but_ Battler's direction.

"Oh, good morning, Battler," said Virgilia in a pleasantly surprised voice. "I didn't think you'd come _this_ early."

"Ah, well, I got up earlier than I thought I would, and I figured, what the hell," shrugged Battler. "Morning, Beato."

Beato turned to look out the window. The sunlight was pouring through and making her look much more alive.

"Beato," said Virgilia sternly, "say 'good morning' back."

Beato turned to Battler, but did not make eye contact with him. "Good morning," she muttered before turning back to the window.

"Look on the bright side," said Battler as he walked up to the bed. "This is less awkward than last night, right?"

"I guess," said Beato, turning just a little bit towards him.

"Battler-kun," said Virgilia, "would you like to help me brush Beato's hair?"

"I'm fine with just you doing it, Teacher," said Beato quickly.

"Oh, but I think Battler would like to help," said Virgilia with a smile on her face.

"So now _you're_ getting into that stupid matchmaking game?" said Beato irritably.

"Beato, be nice," said Virgilia. "Well, Battler-kun?"

"Ah...sure, why not?" said Battler, tugging at the edge of his collar. Brushing a woman's hair couldn't possibly be any _more_ awkward than giving her a bath, right? He sat down on the bed and crawled over to Beato's side. Virgilia handed him the brush and he took it in his hand. She stood up above the two, monitoring Battler.

"So, I just run this through her hair," muttered Battler. "This shouldn't be any more different than brushing my own hair."

He ran it down the edges of her hair as slow and gentle as he could. It seemed, though, that he was doing it a little _too_ slow because after about three slow strokes, Beato spoke: "You're too slow, Battler."

"Beato," said Virgilia warningly.

Battler sighed and went a bit faster, unexpectedly yanking on a knot, causing Beato to yelp. "Sorry," said Battler quickly, taking the brush out.

"You'll get the hang of it eventually," said Virgilia as she walked toward the door. "I'll leave you two alone for now."

_So it's just us—again, _thought Battler as the door closed behind Virgilia. _Is everyone in this house TRYING to get us together?_

"Oh, forget it already," Beato sighed. "Just use your fingers to comb my hair. You know how to do _that,_ right?"

"Yeah, I think I get the gist of it," said Battler awkwardly. He laid the brush aside on the nightstand and lightly ran his fingers through Beato's hair, ignoring the shivers going down his spine. When he got to a knot, he would use his fingers to delicately untangle the spot.

"How's that?"

"Better," said Beato. Then, "Teacher says you have yet to figure out a solid strategy."

"The strategy for now is to lie low," said Battler, untangling various ends. "I will have perfectly innocent conversations with everyone in hopes of tricking them into saying something suspicious, and _then_ my investigation will start."

Beato scoffed, "And you call yourself a Game Master."

"Well, it's not like I _asked_ for this position," said Battler defensively. "I was kind of _forced_ to take it up when you, well...died."

"I remember you telling me something last night," said Beato. "At the time, I was too tired to _really_ reply to it, but you said you were going to strike up the argument that witches exist but did not cause the murders. That sounds like a very...interesting...compromise. Given up on proving witches don't exist, have you?"

"Well, it would mean denying my own existence, right?" said Battler. "I _am_ the Endless Sorcerer after all."

"That is true," said Beato. "Is Bernkastel hard on you?"

"Why should you care?" shrugged Battler. "She's tough, but _you_ didn't exactly let me have a cake walk, either. But I didn't mind _too_ much; it was kind of fun _some_ times. When you weren't making me resist the urge to strangle you, that is," he added with a laugh.

"But even then it would've been useless," said Beato, a smile slowly beginning to make its way onto her face. "Even if you tried, I would've just had you torn to pieces by my furniture, and then revived again. Ah, how I miss playing with your head. I really enjoyed watching your little tantrums when things got too hard for you to figure it out."

"I'm glad _you_ enjoyed my tantrums because _I_ didn't," said Battler. He shook his head. "I _still_ can't figure out that ridiculous fantasy scene between you and Virgilia."

"Oh, that was just part of our 'North Wind and the Sun' strategy," said Beato. "We planned it out together."

"I figured it was planned," said Battler, now onto the last few knots. "You two seem to get along perfectly well otherwise."

"Oh, but I've given Teacher a bit of grief over the years," said Beato, smiling at the memories. "It was fun to see her get angry whenever I used my magic for, to use just one example, filling up the rooms with hot chocolate and then draining them out into the yard."

"You sound just like a little kid, you know that?" chuckled Battler.

"I—I'm not a little kid!" said Beato indignantly.

"But that's what kids _do,"_ said Battler. "They deliberately do things they know upset people just so they can get a kick out of seeing their reaction, just like you!" He suddenly realized he had finger-combed all the tangles out and was just stroking her hair. He put his hands down at his sides and said, "Well, uh...I'm done… with your hair."

"That's good," said Beato, turning to face Battler. She leaned against the pillow that had been propped up to help her sit up at an angle she'd be comfortable with. "Well? Aren't you going to leave?"

Battler had not realized it until now, but he did _not_ want to leave. "Why?" he said. "I have time. My family won't miss me just yet."

"What about Ange?"

Battler closed his eyes. _Ange..._ "Ange," he softly whispered, "I promise I'll win this game for you." He opened his eyes and sighed, leaning down on his side of the bed. "I can't believe I forgot she caught a flu bug from school, and _that_ was what prevented her from coming...and now she's here, with us...but I have time. She'll be okay...for now."

"She won't be if you continue to waste time and not come up with a _real_ strategy," pointed out Beato. "But she'll be fine for now. The game is not set to start just yet. It starts when _all_ the pieces are on the board, and the rest of the pieces have yet to arrive. Take that as your first clue."

Battler's head turned in interest. "So the killer is waiting for more people to arrive," he said slowly.

"That is correct," nodded Beato. "It is _your_ game now, so I can't give you _large_ hints. I am no longer a piece; only a spectator that can guide you to the answer." She grinned. "So now, I have another opportunity to play with your mind."

"Oh boy," sighed Battler. "Just when I thought I had escaped your mental torture, you come back for me again!" He chuckled, "You just don't give up do you Beato?"

Beato looked like she was about to reply to that—then the grin on her face fell off and she paled. She leaned over and gasped for air before coughing violently.

"Beato?" said Battler, concerned. He got off the bed and ran over to her side. "Are you okay? Beato, answer me! Beato!"

She did not reply. She squeezed her eyes shut, but this did not stop the flow of tears. Battler then noticed the way she was clutching the sheets as though they were all she had to hang on for dear life. He knew then what was happening: She was having an 'episode'.

Battler fought a rising panic and looked around the room, listening for the sound of footsteps, but there were none. '_Damn it! Where did Virgilia go off to?'_ he thought, running towards the window in hopes of seeing _someone_ outside whom he could simply yell at. _Did she go off to the meta-world to have tea and cookies with Gaap and the Stakes while gossiping about my cousins' relationships with the servants?! I need her now, dammit!_

Battler then heard the sound of retching. He spun around and saw Beato trying to lift up a hand as though to cover up her mouth, but it fell down to the blankets instead, her eyes now open and bulging. His eyes darted around the room to look for _something_ for Beato to be sick in, but saw nothing. He ran over to the bed, jumped onto it, and crawled over to Beato's side.

_If she's going to throw up, she might as well maintain SOME of her dignity,_ thought Battler as he held Beato's hair off her face while she brought up what little breakfast she had. Fortunately, her vomiting round did not last very long and she was back to gasping for air. Battler slipped one hand into Beato's and said, "It's going to be okay. Virgilia will be here soon. I'll stay with you until she arrives." He used the other hand to gently stroke her back.

Battler wasn't sure how much time was passing, but he could feel Beato's grasp in his hand growing tighter and tighter to the point where her nails were almost digging into his palms before finally relaxing. She could breathe now; albeit, she was panting, but that was better than nothing.

Beato looked over at Battler and said weakly, "Thank you, Battler-kun." Then her eyes closed and she slumped over. Battler was quick to grab her before any part of her had a chance to fall into the vomit. He took her in his arms and pulled her towards his side, feeling himself relax now that it was over.

'_See?'_ he told himself. '_That wasn't so bad. You survived...barely...but you survived!'_

Just then, the door opened and in came Virgilia and Gaap who burst in almost simultaneously. They saw Battler holding an unconscious Beato in his arms, which prompted Gaap to say, "My, what happened _here?_ Did you finally succeed in wooing Beato, or...?"

"She had an 'episode'," Battler was quick to explain. "I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed with her until it was over. It ended _just_ now."

"Why didn't you summon us?" asked Gaap. "All you had to do was just ask for us to appear."

"Er...I didn't realize I _could,"_ said Battler awkwardly.

"Gaap, he's new to being the Endless Sorcerer," said Virgilia. "Go easy on him." Her eyes fell on the spot of vomit on the bed. "Right now, let's get everything cleaned up."

* * *

In the meta-world, Lady Lambdadelta and Bernkastel each sat side-by-side, facing Erika, who claimed to be ready to come back onto the game board.

"I apologize for my behaviour," said Erika with a slight bow. "I was out-of-line, and acting in the spur of the moment. I am now ready to go back on the game board."

"That's a nice apology," said Bernkastel. "But I did not bring you here because I was ready to bring you back; no, you are only here because I decided to listen to whatever sorry excuse you had so I could judge _if_ you were ready to come back or not."

"And?" prompted Erika. "Is my apology accepted?"

Bernkastel and Lambdadelta shared a look before turning back to Erika. "We accept your apology," said Bernkastel. "However, we do not accept you back on the game board just yet. Battler is getting stronger in his strategy-planning, and we need you to come up with something _better_ than what he has got."

"That's not saying a lot," said Lambdadelta with a roll of her eyes. "He can't lie low forever. _Someone_ will eventually get suspicious at his constant question-asking, or his need to talk to _everyone._ The only thing that saved him from total ridicule in front of us was Lady Virgilia oh-so _kindly_ stepping in and creating his strategy _for_ him."

"Wait," said Erika, holding up a hand. "Did you say Virgilia was the one to help him?"

"Yeah," said Lambdadelta, swinging her feet back and forth. "She's been his mentor ever since her _last_ disciple went through her sad, depressed stage. And she's continuing to help him now that Beato is sick."

"Hmm," said Erika, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "It is a common rule in detective fiction that no one is above suspicion. This includes Virgilia..."

"Virgilia?" said Lambdadelta. "What about _her?_ _She's_ never used her magic for evil, or at the very least for selfish gain. She's _always_ used it for all things good."

"Ah, but I did not question her _magic," _said Erika, raising a finger. "I questioned her _character._ She may have never used her _magic_ for malicious purposes...but what about her _nature?_ It cannot be guaranteed that she has _never_ done anything downright immoral through perfectly human means, now can it? Everyone has a sin flowing in their veins. Virgilia is not exempt from this."

"But what could _she_ have done?" asked Lambdadelta. "I can't picture her going on a murderous rampage and killing people."

"Oh, it doesn't have to be _quite_ that elaborate," said Erika. "But it would go beyond simply taking the last cookie from the cookie jar. No, I think dear, sweet Virgilia has something to hide."

"Can you provide us with _proof_ for that?" said Bernkastel.

"If I can do what I can with my spare time to dig up Virgilia's dirty past," said Erika, "then will you let me back on the game board?"

Bernkastel looked Erika straight in the eye. "What do you hope to gain by researching Virgilia's history?" she asked, "Blackmail?"

"Yes and no," said Erika. "We shouldn't _exactly_ blackmail her with whatever information I find out, but what we _can_ do is drop hints of it in the game just to torment her, kind of like what Lady Lambdadelta's doing with Battler in regards of her mentioning Beato's condition in his face repeatedly. If we weaken a source of his strength, then Battler's performance will suffer and we will have a better chance of winning. How does that sound?"

Bernkastel and Lambdadelta glanced at each other before looking back to Erika. They both stood up and each shook hands with Erika. "It's a deal," said Bernkastel. "But you _better_ follow through."

"Oh, I will," said Erika, flashing a smile. "Indeed I will."

* * *

_She wasn't discouraged nor did she cry at her fate.  
She was beautiful._

_She didn't fawn anyone and fought them all by herself.  
She was noble._

_She shined brightly, like a divine figure.  
I needed someone like her._

_-Frederica Bernkastel_


	6. Chapter 6

6

"Thank you for being there," said Virgilia as she covered up Beato's trembling, sleeping body with a quilt. While the sheets in her bed were being changed, Beato had been moved downstairs to sleep on the couch in the parlour. She was still asleep yet trembling as though she could feel pain in her dreams.

"It's no problem," said Battler. "The only thing I could think of doing was making sure Beato maintained her dignity even as she was being sick."

"Allow me to apologize," said Virgilia as she set up the pillows for Beato to lay her head on. "I should've warned you that these pain attacks can be unpredictable. They can occur anywhere from two to three times a day, and you just happened to be there during one of them."

She pulled out a handkerchief to wipe off some of the left-over residue at the corner of Beato's lips. "I should've also warned you vomiting can sometimes occur. Oh, it doesn't happen during _every_ single pain attack; just once in a while. This is only the second time this has happened. I hope it won't happen again the next time you come over."

"I sure hope it won't too," said Battler, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where were you, anyway?"

"I was just downstairs with Gaap having a bit of tea," said Virgilia. "I thought I'd give you and Beato alone time together, so..."

"Ah, just as I thought then," said Battler, grinning. "You _were_ trying to set us up, weren't you?"

"You caught me," Virgilia lightly chuckled. "The two of you play off each other so well. No one can challenge you except Beato… and no one can intimidate that child except you."

"And that alone makes us compatible?" said Battler.

"Well, you enjoy spending time with her now, don't you?" pointed out Virgilia. "And the two of you each care for each other—Ronove tells me that Beato really was worried she had tricked you too badly in our third game."

"Was she now?" said Battler. "I know I enjoyed giving _her_ a dose of her medicine by making her think I was too traumatized to _speak,_ ihihi!"

Virgilia changed the subject, "So how does it feel to be the Endless Sorcerer now? Do you find it exciting?"

"Eh, not much," shrugged Battler. "I'm trying to use magic as _little_ as possible, just to keep it out of the argument or else I might accidentally kill myself if Erika disproves me."

"You should still practice in the case the need arises to use it," pointed out Virgilia. "If you like, I could take you outside right now and teach you some of the basics."

Battler hesitated. "Only if you teach me the kind that would be absolutely _necessary_ to save someone's life in an emergency," he said. "I _really_ want to keep magic out of this."

Virgilia shook his hand. "You have a deal."

* * *

Battler wasn't sure what to expect when using magic. He thought it could go one of two ways—it could either be impossibly difficult, or ridiculously easy. He found it to be more along the lines of the former.

"Try to remember its form," said Virgilia, waving her wand around a broken birdhouse. "I'm sure it had a very beautiful form." Her birdhouse was repaired within seconds. She turned to Battler. "Now you try."

Battler glanced down at the broken birdhouse. He had made several attempts to fix it with magic and failed, miserably. Maybe this time it would be different. He closed his eyes and struggled to envision a birdhouse in his head. "Try to remember its form," he muttered. "It was very, very beautiful."

He opened his eyes and sure enough, the birdhouse was coming together. "Hey, I'm doing it!" he said excitedly.

Almost immediately after he said this, the birdhouse fell to pieces. Battler let out a cry of frustration. "Damn it! How did Beato do this without losing her patience?!?"

"Oh, she had days where she would get frustrated and cry, but she refused to give up until she got it right," said Virgilia, a reflection of nostalgia in her eye. "I still remember her insistence that we stay up all night repairing her own birdhouse until it was just right, then falling asleep by one o'clock in the morning. I would have to carry her into the house and change her into her nightgown. Then as soon as she woke up the next morning, she would run outside and go back to practicing. Ah, time flies by so quickly." She shook her head. "But anyway, back to work...your problem is that as soon as you form an image of what it's supposed to look like in your mind, you drop it just as quick. You need to _keep_ that image in your mind until it is completely formed and it will not break."

"Right," sighed Battler. "I need to _concentrate."_ He tried once again at remembering the form of the birdhouse. It began to pick itself up, piece-by-piece. It was all coming together now...he almost had it..._just keep that image in your mind, don't lose it...aw damn it,_ thought Battler dejectedly as it fell apart.

"Your family might be missing you by now," said Virgilia. "If you like, you can go home."

"Thanks," sighed Battler. "But there are a few things I've been meaning to ask. And now seems to be the right time to ask them."

"What is it you need to know?" said Virgilia as she put away her wand.

"Well, this is something that's been on my mind," said Battler. "Something that _could_ be a possible motive for the killer: Revenge. Did Beato and Kinzo ever have an illegitimate child together?"

The corners of Virgilia's mouth twitched as though she were holding back a smile. "No," she said. "They never did. Not with _that_ Beatrice or anyone else."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked Battler suspiciously.

"Oh, I could tell you, but Beato wishes me not to," said Virgilia, still holding back a smile. "But no—they had no child, or children, together."

"Oh," said Battler. "Well, there goes _one_ theory, then." He secretly breathed a sigh of relief—he would've _hated_ to think he was developing unexplained feelings for someone who had given birth to one of his aunts or his uncle. _That_ would've been too creepy for words. The only thing worse would've been if she was the mother of his _father..._he shuddered at the thought.

"Is there anything else you wish to know?" Virgilia asked as she put the two birdhouses back together.

"Okay, um...hypothetically speaking, could it be possible to speed up Beato's healing process with magic?" asked Battler. He was quick to add, "You know, _hypothetically."_

"I see where you're hinting at," said Virgilia, placing the birdhouses back into their boxes. "I'm sorry, no. One of the former witches I spoke to said that when someone tried using magic to stop her pain, it only made the pain _worse._ This is something Beato will have to overcome on her own."

"Oh," said Battler, feeling a bit dejected. "Well, uh...what's the deal with Ronove? There is definitely _not_ anything between him and Beato, right?"

He was both surprised and somewhat offended when Virgilia burst out laughing. "Oh no, of course not," she said. "They get along just fine, but there are no romantic feelings between them; he and I have been her primary caregivers. In fact, Ronove barks up a very _different _tree, if you get my meaning."

"_Oh,"_ said Battler, feeling foolish over thinking such a thought. "In that case...that's all I have."

"I think you'd be better off staying home for the rest of the day," said Virgilia. Battler was about to protest when she added, "You need to practice your magic, and to investigate more. There may come a time when you really will need to use magic over reason."

"Yeah, wish me luck," muttered Battler as he walked off, thinking, _Huh. I've been denying magic all this time, yet here I am, practicing the very thing I have been claiming does not exist. When irony comes back to bite you, it bites you in the ass._

"Just remember," called out Virgilia. "Without love, it cannot be seen."

* * *

"Onii-chan! Where have you been?" was Battler's greeting when he returned to the rose garden at the main mansion.

"Sorry, Ange," apologized Battler, patting Ange on the head. "I've been kind of busy checking out the island and I guess I lost track of time."

"Can you take me along next time, onii-chan?" asked Ange. Her eyes were so bright...so innocent...

"We'll see," said Battler cautiously, resolving to somehow find a way to sneak out without Ange's knowledge when going over to visit Beato the following day. "What would you like to do for now?"

"I don't know," shrugged Ange. "Play a game, I guess."

"Ange," said Battler, "how would you like to have some chicken soup for supper tonight?"

"Chicken soup?" said Ange. "But I'm not sick."

In his mind, Battler said, '_But someone else I know is.'_

"Well, there's nothing wrong with having a special treat once in a while, right? Come, let's find Gohda and ask for a special meal."

* * *

"What's taking her so long?" said Lambdadelta impatiently, drumming her fingers on the chair handle in the meta-world. "She said she'd be back before Battler and Lady Virgilia arrived. When does she _think_ that is? The next _century?"_

"Patience, Lambda," said Bernkastel calmly, taking a sip of tea. "She will be back soon. And she had _better_ come back with the information she promised."

"Don't call me that," pouted Lambdadelta.

"Hey, it's better than Lambdy-Lamby," said Bernkastel with a smile. At this, Lambdadelta stuck out her tongue. At that moment, Erika showed up in a burst of gold, looking as though she was a cat that had just swallowed a canary.

"My, that took you a while," remarked Bernkastel. "But judging by the grin on your face, I would say you found something nice and juicy, now did you?"

"Juicy as a freshly squeezed pomegranate," said Erika, strutting up to the two witches. "I've asked around about this Virgilia person. At first, I only found out what I knew before—that she was the last person before Beato to hold the title of Beatrice the Endless Witch, and that she was the magician for the Ushiromiya household for a short period of time before becoming Beato's personal magician in Kuwadorian. I was beginning to think it was all useless, that maybe I should just give up...and then I had a little chat with Dlanor A. Knox."

"Ah," said Bernkastel. "She and Virgilia are good friends, or used to be anyway; I stopped trying to figure out who was on whose side a long time ago after it got too confusing. She _would_ know a thing or two about Virgilia's history. What did she have to tell you?"

The grin on Erika's face grew wider. "Well, it turns out that dear, saintly Virgilia _does_ have a sin after all, and it is _not_ a pretty one. It was a sin she was so deeply ashamed of that she only told two people about it: Ronove, and Dlanor. Now, Dlanor said she was sworn not to _breathe_ a word of it to anyone...but she was quick to add she never said she couldn't _write_ a word of it."

Erika then whipped out five pages bound together from her pocket. "You can go a long way when you know the right things to say to butter up Dlanor on the subject of witch hunting."

"Ooh, show it to me, show it to me!" cried out Lambdadelta, leaping up from her seat. Bernkastel only rolled her eyes and said, "You can show it to her first, Erika. I can wait."

Erika handed the pages over to Lambdadelta, who settled down. As she flipped through them, she gasped and her eyes widened. She held one hand to her mouth and kept reading. By the time she got to the end, she giggled. "Ooooh, Beato would _hate_ Virgilia if she _ever_ saw this! Here, Bern, have a look."

Lambdadelta handed the pages over to Bernkastel, who took another sip of her tea as she began reading, going through each page at a time. When she got to the shocking punch line, she coughed on her next mouthful of tea.

"Scandalous, isn't it?" said Erika, now wearing a Cheshire Cat grin. "You'd _never_ expect something like _that_ from someone like _Virgilia,_ now would you?"

Bernkastel arranged the papers in order and said, "You have done well. I accept—no, _we_ accept you back on the game board."

Erika grinned. "Then let the game preparations begin."

* * *

_Do you know what sin is?  
It's not from eating the fruit of wisdom._

_Do you know what sin is?  
It's not from listening to the snake's honey-laced words._

_Do you still not know what your sin is?  
That would be your sin._

_--Frederica Bernkastel_


	7. Chapter 7

**Bold when not in author's notes = Red**

_Italics when not in thoughts or emphasis = Blue_

_**Bold and italics = Gold**_

7

"Ah," said Bernkastel when Virgilia and Battler appeared in a flash of gold. "Came back for more, I see."

"Yes, and this time, I am better prepared," said Battler, who sat down in his chair and leaned back casually. "I had time to think it through, and I am ready to lay some theories down on the table."

"It had _better_ not involve small bombs or cardboard boxes," said Lambdadelta with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh no, I've grown out of _those_ dumb theories," laughed Battler. "No, _this_ time I have a much _better_ idea as to what's going on."

Lambdadelta's eyes moved over from Battler to Virgilia. "Do you _really_ know what's going on?"

"We'll just have to find out," said Battler. He then said, "I see you've let Erika back on the game board."

"Yes, she has proven herself to be worthy now," said Bernkastel. "Now let us begin."

"All right," said Battler, cracking his knuckles. "First, let us examine the possible motives for each of the suspects: During his life, _**Kinzo never held any high regard for any of his children however much he acted it and saw them all as total failures**_—wow, didn't expect _that_ one to show up in gold. Anyway, it can be easy to conclude that **he never intended for the family fortune to be passed down to anyone.** _One of the four siblings may not see it this way and see the other siblings in line as possible threats. Therefore, they decided to kill off just about anyone who they viewed as a potential 'threat', servants included."_

"Which one?" asked Erika, "Which one would want the fortune the most?"

_Crap,_ thought Battler, trying to keep his face as blank as he could. _She saw right through my bluff._ He was able to quickly regain his composure and he spoke: "Uncle Krauss is a possibility. He has been embezzling money for years. He would have to be _drowning_ in debt. Let's say he were to discover he wasn't quite as valued as he thought—would he then strive to grasp the family fortune by whatever means necessary? Or how about Aunt Eva—she's always resented her siblings—hell, they _all_ hate each other—but her pride would insist that _she_ be the rightful heir. And then you take into account that she, with the help of an accomplice, _may have been the murderer in the third game._ And then there's Aunt Rosa, who is struggling to make ends meet..."

"What about your father?" Erika asked as she leaned forward in her chair. "What motive could _he_ have?"

"None," said Battler throwing his hands up in the air. "He and my step-mom have a good life; they have all they could ask for..."

"So you think," said Erika. "Let me lay down some facts for you: **You do not know what your parents are really like. Ushiromiya Asumu is not your mother. Your father lied to you when he said she was. Therefore, you cannot trust everything your father says."**

_She's fishing,_ Battler reminded himself. _She's searching for the right thing to say to set you off. Keep it together. _He said, _"The culprit may not be one of the four. The culprit may be someone entirely unexpected._ Kumasawa, Genji, or Gohda, or possibly all three, might have eventually decided they had enough with being servants and wanted to be set free; however, they were obligated to stay on Rokkenjima even after Kinzo's death so—"

"Why?" said Erika. "Why were they obligated? **After Kinzo's death, they could just leave whenever they wanted."**

"**But they still had the other relatives living at the main house to look after,"** fired back Battler. **"**_So they might have decided to do away with them as well as the others_**."**

"You say Kumasawa, Genji, or Gohda could be the servants behind this," said Erika, "But what about Kanon and Shannon? Don't _they_ count as servants, too? _Isn't it possible Kanon and Shannon may have teamed up together to kill the rest of the family out of some hidden motive? Could one or the other or possibly both have faked their deaths to kill the others later on?_ **Kanon's body was never found in the second game.** _Therefore, he may have killed Jessica, disappeared, and later on showed up to kill Shannon and George when he thought they were growing incompetent."_

"_Maybe,"_ admitted Battler. "But how could Kanon have gotten around the house without being seen or heard?"

"Can we move on to the current game at hand now?" asked Erika as she yawned, "The one that should be ready in six days or so? How do you plan on killing them—through more merciful means that would be easy for us to figure out, or through gruesome, agonizing means that would make it _harder_ for us?"

"Neither," declared Battler. "Because _**Ushiromiya Battler did not commit murder in any of the previous games, nor will he ever murder in this game!"**_

"**You can still kill them indirectly," **argued Erika. **"Because then it's not YOU doing it, it's someone ELSE doing it. Ha-ha-ha-ha!"**

"Then how about I just let the events run their natural course?" suggested Battler. "Then we'll see if this game truly is destined to set itself up or not."

"Sorry, but that's not quite how it works," said Bernkastel. **"The murders will take place regardless of how you choose to set up the game. Even if you choose not to set it up and let things run their course, your family will die anyway.** Beato was right—**you really are an incompetent fool."**

"And here I was, ready to change that portrait," scoffed Lambdadelta.

"No need to," said Bernkastel. "I went ahead and did it myself."

"Aww, Bern," whined Lambdadelta. "I thought we were in this together."

"We still are," said Bernkastel, taking a sip of tea. "But, to borrow an expression from Battler's world, **I wear the pants in the relationship."**

"You didn't have to say it in red," pouted Lambdadelta.

Erika rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she said, "back to the game—"

"Wait a second," said Battler, raising a hand. His ego was getting the better of him. "May I please see this portrait of me?"

"Now Battler, don't let your new position get to your head," said Virgilia with a smile.

"I don't see why not," said Bernkastel. With a snap of her fingers, a giant, life-sized portrait appeared. The man in the portrait was a serious-looking Battler who was donning his usual attire including his grandfather's cape which he wore around his shoulders. He was leaning forward in a chair against his right arm while his left lay spread out on the chair handle. He sat in a majestic chair, but did not look very happy. He looked deep in thought, thinking about how to get himself out of a position where he would have to admit that he had been denying all this time existed.

"Oh, wow," was all Battler could say. "Uh...it's very...flattering."

"Yes, we get it, it flatters your figure and trims your fat," snapped Erika. "Now can we _please _get back to the game at hand?!?"

"First of all, let's discuss the title," said Battler. "You wanted to call it 'Checkmate of the Golden Witch'. However, that title seems to be out of the question now. I've been thinking long and hard about this, and I am torn between 'Dawn of the Golden Witch' and 'Turn of the Endless Sorcerer'. Because while I succeeded in reviving Beato, she is technically out of the game now, so I'm not sure if including 'golden witch' in the title would be appropriate. At the same time, this isn't really _my_ game; it is Beato's game which I am playing for her. What do you think?"

"Hmm...I think 'Turn of the Endless Sorcerer' sounds better," said Lambdadelta. "I'm just not _feeling _the other one."

"I think they're both equally good and each has their respective merits," said Virgilia. "But as Battler said, he is playing this game for Beato. While it may not be _his _game, he is going to represent her nonetheless, so I vote for the second title."

"Yes, I do think this is Battler's turn to prove himself," said Bernkastel. "I think it is time for him to show just what he is truly made of. Erika?"

Erika rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine. We'll call it 'Turn of the Endless Sorcerer'. Moving on, please?"

"There actually _is_ something interesting I have noticed from our Endless Sorcerer," said Bernkastel. She had a creepy smile on her face that made Battler feel less confident. "You are determined to prove magic does not exist..."

"Not anymore," Battler began to say, but Bernkastel ignored him: "Yet you continue to insist your family is not responsible for the murders. Do you even begin to realize just how much of a mass contradiction that is? The way I see it, you have a choice: You can forfeit and admit magic is the reason behind this, in other words, kill your own family, or you can accept someone in your family is a heartless, bloodthirsty, sadistic killer. You cannot opt out and take a third option; you must choose one or the other. What's it going to be?"

Battler had now lost all trace of confidence. He made the mistake of letting it show, which prompted Bernkastel to say, "Still refuse to make a choice? Then allow me to show you what will happen if you continue to live in denial like this."

The image flashed before Battler's eyes and soon, he was no longer in the meta-world. He was passing through the worlds of the other games, being shown graphic images of his family's deaths in the previous games...half their faces torn off...their stomachs being ripped apart...Jessica and Kanon just barely within reach of one another...George and Shannon sharing one last bittersweet reunion before having said reunion cut cruelly short...Ange trying to keep Battler from seeing her slowly being ripped apart while trying very hard not to cry...and then Beato in the middle of her painful experience from earlier that day, gasping for breath, leaning forward on the bed, clutching the sheets tightly...

"Stop it," spoke a trembling Battler. "I SAID STOP IT!"

"You heard him," spoke the stern voice of Virgilia. The room shifted back into the meta-world. She had a look of anger in her eyes. "Stop this farce."

"My apologies," said Bernkastel with the same, smug look on her face. "I had to do that to remind the Endless Sorcerer here of what it is he has to do in order to succeed. Continue to fail, and this is what's in store for the ones you are close to—eternal torment, eternal pain, eternal _suffering._ Is that what you want? Do you want your sister to get caught up in this? Do you want Beato to forever be looped back into enduring a most painful process? No? Then start suspecting your family. Look at each and every one of them with suspicion, and _don't_ make an exception for _anyone,_ not even your father. _No one_ is above suspicion. Accept that, or allow your family to suffer. And with that, I bid you good day."

* * *

Battler stirred around in his bowl of soup at supper that night, his appetite long gone. He looked around the dinner table, paying only half-attention to what his family was saying. He could no longer simply brush off their words as banter; now he had to actually _listen_ in case they accidentally said anything incriminating.

Were Krauss and Rudolf really _just_ teasing each other as brothers should, or was there a long, bitter resentment between them that would eventually spill over? Were Kyrie's playful remarks about killing Rudolf _just_ joking, or were they veiled threats? Was Jessica ignoring her parents out of annoyance, or out of a hidden fear they would discover her real plans? Was Kanon sneaking a glance at Jessica because he truly loved her, or because he was thinking of the perfect method to kill her without her suspecting? Were any of the servants truly loyal and faithful to their master, or were they all in a conspiracy together to rise up and kill the remaining family? And Natsuhi...was she _really_ innocent all this time?

"You look serious again, onii-chan," spoke up Ange. "What are you thinking about?"

Battler looked into Ange's eyes. "Ange," he said softly, rubbing her hair. "You're the only one I can trust right now, you know that?"

"Onii-chan?" said Ange curiously.

Battler sighed, "Never mind." He leaned over and gave Ange a tight hug. _I'm going to save you,_ he thought. _I'm going to save you from this eternal hell. And in order to do that, I will have to start suspecting everyone. As long as I know one person is exempt, I shall keep my sanity._

* * *

_The world will never see this side reflected_

_And if there's something wrong who would have guessed it?_

_--"Never Too Late", Three Days Grace_


	8. Chapter 8

8

It was painful to open her eyes, but Beato somehow found the strength within her to do so. The images before her were blurry in the sunlight from outside, but they began to take shape. She heard Virgilia's soft, gentle voice say, "Are you feeling better?"

"Mmm…" was Beato's reply as she blinked away the involuntary tears. She closed them again when she felt the same, sharp pain shoot through her head. Whenever she woke up after an episode of pain, she would have a horrible headache that threatened to crack her head open. She had been told this was perfectly normal for witches reverting back to mortals after experiencing pain. Even so, she wished this wasn't the norm, and that reverting to a human was a quick, painless process.

"Does your head hurt?" asked Virgilia.

Beato nodded and tried to force herself to open her eyes once more. Her last episode had ended fifteen minutes ago, but her body felt like a sack of lead pellets, with the exception of her head which felt as though it were being beaten upon _by_ lead pellets.

"This," said Virgilia, taking the damp washcloth off of Beato's forehead, "is what you get for letting your vanity and pride get in the way."

"It... got Battler to realize the truth, did it not?" said Beato. "He...would never have realized if I hadn't..."

"If you hadn't risked your life," finished Virgilia. "And I know you were hurt when he forgot his promise, but his mother—or at least, the woman who had raised him—had died not long after he met you. He was still going through the stages of grief when his father re-married. Try to understand that."

Beato's headache began to subside. "I feel better," she said. She struggled to sit up in bed, but she managed by propping up her pillow.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Virgilia. "Noon is almost over. Battler should be arriving at any minute now." She took a glance out the window. "As a matter of fact, there he is now. He's carrying a big pot."

"Oh?" said Beato, hiding her piqued interest. There was no fooling Teacher, though; she gave a knowing smile. "You're not going to leave us alone _again,_ are you?"

"I'll see how you feel when he comes up," said Virgilia. "I'll also see how _he_ feels. He took a serious beating from Bernkastel yesterday."

"Did he?" said Beato, sitting more upright.

"Oh, he did fine," said Virgilia. "He managed to come up with a few good arguments, but Bernkastel managed to get the better of him in the end."

"How much closer is he to the truth, Teacher?" asked Beato.

"No better than he was before, I'm afraid," said Virgilia as she sighed, "He cares about his family... but he cares too much. That is what's preventing him from reaching his full potential."

"I've noticed," said Beato. "Then again, his caring for his family is also what's pushing him to win the game."

"That, and his feelings for you," added Virgilia.

"Don't tease me, Teacher," scoffed Beato. "The only feelings _he_ would have towards _me_ would be...well...I don't know, but...but they wouldn't be the ones _you're_ probably thinking of!"

"Now if he really didn't care for you, he wouldn't take the trouble to stop by and visit, now would he?" pointed out Virgilia.

"He's only coming by because he's looking for my _help,_ and nothing else," said Beato. "If I knew nothing about the game..."

"He would still visit you," said Virgilia. "And you would still have a lot to talk about."

Beato's head turned at the sound of footsteps and scuffling. "You know, _I_ can carry this tray myself," said the voice of Gaap.

"Oh, I know that," said Battler's nonchalant voice. "I'm just making sure I get to give this to Beato personally."

Virgilia smiled and went over to open the door. Just as she did, Battler and Gaap came in, each holding one side of the tray carrying a bowl of chicken soup. Beato turned away when Battler's eyes met hers.

'_As if him seeing me half-naked wasn't embarrassing enough,' _thought Beato, '_There is now the fact that he saw me having 'that' experience yesterday...including my being sick all over the bed. Great.'_

"I'm here with some soup," said Battler, who graciously took the tray away from Gaap with both hands. He walked up to the bed and placed it down in front of Beato. "My parents always make chicken soup for me when I'm sick. I don't know if this will help, but give it a try."

Beato looked over at Virgilia who said, "This is very nice of Battler. Thank him for his courtesy."

Beato reluctantly looked over at Battler. "Thank you," she said stiffly. "But I'm only taking this soup because I'm hungry, not because I _want_ a gift from you."

Gaap stood in the doorway and smiled over at Beelzebub who just happened to be stopping by at that moment, attracted by the smell of the soup. "Zebub," said Gaap in a voice quiet enough not to alert Beato's attention, "I am only vaguely familiar with the 'tsundere' concept. Which one is she right now?"

"Right now, she is 'tsun'," said Beelzebub. "But it won't be long until she switchers over to 'dere'." The two giggled.

"What's so funny?" said Beato irritably. "And Beelzebub, you had _better_ not be here because of the soup."

"Of course not, Lady Beatrice," said Beelzebub innocently. "I'm just telling Gaap how people can act a certain way one minute and then a different way the next." The two giggled once more.

"Oh, get out of here and go bother Ronove while he's baking cookies," snapped Beato.

"Cookies?!?" cried out Beelzebub. Gaap grabbed her hand and the two disappeared through a portal to the kitchen.

"Oh, those two," laughed Battler. "I've gotten used to the Stakes by now. I'm still getting used to Gaap, though."

"Oh believe me, you are not the only one," said Virgilia dryly.

"I like her," said Beato. "I don't know what you two mean at all." She stirred her spoon around in the broth, pushing some of the chicken over to one side. She took a dainty sip.

"Well?" said Battler. "How is it?"

"Hmm," said Beato, "Needs more salt." She picked up the salt shaker on the tray and added a pint more. She looked up at the two and made it clear with her eyes she did not feel comfortable eating with them watching her like an animal in a cage.

"I suppose I _could_ take advantage of this time to help Battler practice for a bit," said Virgilia.

"Oh?" said Beato, raising an eyebrow. "Ready to tear out your hair out yet, Ushiromiya Battler?" She laughed, beginning to sound like her old self again.

"Of course not!" said Battler. "I'll show you a thing or two about magic!"

* * *

"Thank goodness Beato wasn't out there, or else the laughter would've killed her," muttered Battler as he walked up the stairs to Beato's room thirty minutes later, still sore over his various botched attempts at magic.

"No, even she would've taken just a bit of pity on you," said Virgilia, smiling. "She has an easier time sympathizing if the experience in question is something _she_ has gone through. Otherwise, she just laughs and laughs."

"Just like a child," he muttered. "Well, I hope her attitude is an indication she's getting better.

"I hope so, too," said Virgilia. Then, "I hope you're not taking Bernkastel's words to heart."

"She was right," sighed Battler. By now, the two had reached the top of the stairs. "If I continue to live in denial like this, my family will suffer. Beato will suffer."

"You have been told this before, and I am going to repeat it to you one more time in hopes that it will get through to you," said Virgilia firmly. "Beato's suffering is not your fault. This process is only temporary." However, she sounded like she was trying to tell this to _herself._

The two began walking down the hall to Beato's room. "I should get back," sighed Battler. "I feel like I should stay longer, but..."

"But nothing," said Virgilia. "Your family needs you just as much as Beato needs her family now. You see...over the years, all of us—me, Ronove, Gaap, even the Stakes—have _become_ her family. We're all she has."

"Doesn't she have anyone else?" asked Battler, although a part of him already knew the answer to the question, "Siblings? Parents?"

They stopped in front of Beato's door. Virgilia had a sad look in her eyes. "I was good friends with her parents," she spoke. "Her father was a business partner of Kinzo's. He and his wife came to stay while their home was under repairs. Her mother was beautiful, as was her father whom she inherited much of her looks from. Their home had just been repaired when her mother found out she was pregnant. They could not leave because of...complications...her mother hadn't always been in good health and was told she and the baby would be put in danger on the boat ride back to shore, and so she was put on bed rest for her whole pregnancy. And..."

"She died, didn't she," finished Battler.

Virgilia turned away. "Yes," she said softly. "Her mother died in childbirth. And her father died a little while later of a long-term illness. Kinzo was kind enough to take her in, and he had Ronove and I raise her at Kuwadorian, under the guise of Genji and Kumasawa on the chance someone might stumble across it, but we allowed our true forms to show around her. I didn't know then he really wanted her to replace his last Beatrice, but—"

"Hold on," interrupted Battler. "What do you mean his _last_ Beatrice?"

Virgilia whipped back to Battler. "Oh my," she said. "I've said too much already. Why don't you go in and say goodbye to her now before leaving?"

Battler looked at Virgilia curiously, but opened the door to Beato's room. He went in and saw the tray was no longer there. He supposed Ronove or someone might have already retrieved it. Beato was sitting up, once again trying to look anywhere but Battler's direction.

"I'm just coming in to say goodbye," he said. "I have to get home to my family now."

"Of course," said Beato coldly. "You want to get home to your family to tell them all about my sad, pathetic history, don't you?"

Battler was taken aback. "You...heard us?" he said weakly.

Virgilia stepped in. She said, "Battler, I think you had better leave now."

"Yes, _Battler,"_ said Beato, now fixing a cold gaze into Virgilia's eyes. "I think you had better leave before Teacher decides to tell you about _every_ tragedy in my life; tragedies that I don't want other people to know about."

Battler saw Virgilia wince at these harsh words. He took the hint and silently walked out, feeling very, very guilty for daring to intrude on something so personal.

* * *

"I can't believe he'd invite us over at the last minute like this," muttered Rosa as she began flinging clothes into her suitcase. "Maria! Hurry up!"

"Uu! Coming, mama!" said Maria's voice from her bedroom.

"No, _don't_ come!" called out Rosa. "Just...stay where you are...and pack. Yes, just _pack._" She let out a frustrated sigh and glanced over at the letter on her dresser. It was a letter from Kinzo announcing he needed Rosa and Maria to come over for an emergency family meeting regarding the matters of the family fortune. They were to leave by airplane the next morning and arrive on the island by boat in the evening. She did not know the reason for this, but what she did know was that they had to pack now and decide what to take or else Maria would start packing things and removing them at the last minute, as she usually did.

"I hope you know what you're doing, father," muttered Rosa, packing a bottle of Aspirin. She hoped it would make it through security...she would _need_ it.

* * *

_Words fall through me and always fool me_

_And I can't react_

_And games that never amount to more than they're meant_

_Will play themselves out_

_--"Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova_


	9. Chapter 9

9

When Battler arrived at the mansion in the main hall, the first person he ran into was not Ange, but Natsuhi, who had just put down a large, wooden chest. "Good afternoon, Aunt Natsuhi," he said cheerfully. "What's that you've got there?"

"Oh, it's just an old toy chest I found in Krauss' closet," said Natsuhi with a sigh, brushing the dust off the lid. "He wanted me to take it downstairs and go through the old toys and decide which ones to give to Kinzo's orphanage. Do you want to help me go through these items?"

In that moment, Battler was struck with the idea to go through the toy chest in hopes of finding _some_ shape or form of a hidden clue that would point him in the right direction. There was a good chance it would only be filled with toys that contained no hidden meaning, but it was worth a shot. "Sure, why not?" shrugged Battler. He bent down and opened up the lid, which contained quite the collection of toys.

"Looks like we'll be busy for a while," he laughed. He and Natsuhi began to empty the trunk. Battler was slightly disappointed with the findings. So far, they only pulled out various toy cars and trains, along with the occasional doll or two, a white rocking horse, and an assortment of items that were long past Battler's generation for him to recognize only vaguely from what he had come across in various books.

Just when Battler was ready to give up hope of ever finding something that was even remotely interesting, something caught his eye. It was a blanket with some English lettering on it. He picked it up and realized it was a blanket fit for a _baby._

To be more specific, it was fit for a baby _girl._

It was as pink as a rosy blush on someone's cheeks and had an image of a teddy bear holding a balloon in one hand stitched onto one of the sides. And on another side of the blanket, there was one name stitched in English writing: _Maria._

"Maria…" murmured Battler. "Hey Aunt Natsuhi, did Aunt Rosa ever visit Rokkenjima when Maria was a baby?"

"I think she might have at one point," said Natsuhi slowly. "But I can't say for _certain._ Oh, that's right, I nearly forgot to tell you—Rosa and Maria were sent emergency invitations a few days ago. They will be joining us tomorrow evening, and you will be expected to greet them at the docks."

Battler figured out that Virgilia had been up to her old tricks once again—they, too, were being invited early so Battler could figure it all out—but he acted surprised. "Really?" he said. "That sounds great. I haven't seen Maria in so long. I wonder if she'll remember me."

"She was only three the last time you two met, so I doubt it," said Natsuhi. "Well, thank you, Battler. I'll see if I can have these donated to charity."

"Oh, but don't go around giving _that_ away," said the voice of Rudolf. Battler turned to see his father running towards the now empty toy chest. "That model airplane is a _classic._ You'll never find another one like that anywhere else. Say, uh...how about I give that to Battler? Battler, you wouldn't mind having a keepsake from your dear old father, will you?"

Battler smiled. He knew what Rudolf really meant was "Can you please take that airplane for yourself so _I_ can play with it later?" He decided to play along for his father's sake: "Of course. We can take it to the guest house and put it in my suitcase with my other items to take home."

Natsuhi held back a giggle. Rudolf then said, "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you. Kyrie and I would like to meet with you in the guest house in a few minutes."

Surprised, Battler said, "Uh, sure. I'll just help Aunt Natsuhi go through these items and..."

"You go on ahead, Battler-kun," said Natsuhi. "I'll be okay."

Battler stood up. Before following his father, he stuffed the pink blanket in his pocket. He wasn't sure if it belonged to his cousin Maria, or to some other mysterious Maria, but he had a feeling it would come in handy later as a potential clue.

* * *

Battler wasn't sure just what his parents wanted to talk to him about, but when he sat down in a chair facing opposite of them on the couch, he knew it was something serious. Neither one of them had a trace of a smile or laugh on their faces.

"Ange's worried about you," Rudolf began. "She says you've been acting a little, well...serious. I tried to just brush it off as you thinking about your future, what college you plan on going to and all that, but we've been noticing, she's right. You're acting more distant with us recently, and you're always coming up with excuses whenever we ask for an explanation. You haven't been this way since your mother died. Is there something on your mind?"

Battler looked across the room from Kyrie to Rudolf. _"You haven't been this way since your mother died..."_

"Actually, yes," said Battler. "There _is_ something on my mind...something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now. It's about Asumu..."

"Ah," said Rudolf. "You're remembering your mother. It was only a couple months before this time six years ago that her cancer finally got the better of her...it would be natural for you to still miss her, but I hope you realize you can—"

Battler cut him off: "I know Asumu wasn't my birth mother."

Rudolf fell silent. Battler looked him straight in the eye. Even if this wasn't relevant to the case, even if this wasn't a motive, he had to find out the truth for _his_ sake. "You have been lying to me since the day I was born," he said. "You have told me 'go on, walk to mama'. You have said 'give your mother a kiss goodbye before going on the bus'. And you were there to tell me 'your mother died while you were at school today'. But that," he stood up, "was a lie. It was all a _lie."_

"Battler," began Rudolf, who took his turn to stand up, but Battler, now on a roll, let out the emotions that had been welling up inside him ever since he found out the truth: "Asumu may have helped _raise_ me, but she was _not_ the one who gave birth to me. She was not my real mother."

"Don't talk about her that way, young man," said Rudolf warningly.

Unfazed by this, Battler said, "Instead of lying to me, why don't you try telling the truth for once, _dad?_ _If _I can call you that, that is."

Now it was Kyrie's turn to stand up. "Don't you _dare_ speak to your father like that," she said angrily.

"Who was she?" demanded Battler. _"Who was my real mother?_ Tell me the truth, dad."

Rudolf looked shaken up. He said quietly, "How did you know...?"

"How I found out is not important," said Battler, refusing to back down. "What's important is finding out _who _I am. And who am I? Whose _son_ am I? Am I even _your_ son? Answer that for me..._dad."_

Rudolf looked over at Kyrie. He said, "Kyrie, I need you to leave..."

"No, dad," said Battler firmly. "If it's something concerning Kyrie, then she has every right to stay. Go on, tell us _both_ what really happened."

Battler had never seen his father look quite as scared as he did now. He looked like a scared child caught with one hand in the cookie jar. It took several minutes for Rudolf to answer to Battler's fierce interrogation. For a moment, Battler feared he would have to summon up the courage to confront him again. He had no idea _where_ all that came from and he wasn't sure if he could get it back.

Finally, Rudolf found it in himself to look his son in the eye. "Battler," he began, "I was a real philanderer in my youth. I wasn't much better than you are with most girls... Only, unlike you, I went _much_ further than a simple breast grab. Kinzo—your grandfather—never looked on me kindly for it. He always placed much emphasis on Krauss' success, but I could tell he was disappointed in all of us. All of my flings were just that—flings; nothing serious. And then...I met Kyrie."

He looked over at Kyrie before turning back to Battler. "Kyrie and I fell too hard too fast. I was in love with her, but then...I got sidetracked by Asumu _badly._ I began jumping back and forth between the two women; if I wasn't with one, I was with the other. And then...Asumu approached me one day and told me she was pregnant. I didn't want your grandfather to look down on me any more than he already did and prove his suspicions that his son was a failure right, and so I married her to protect the family name. It wasn't until a week after the wedding that Kyrie approached me and said _she_ was pregnant, too. I...I made a foolish mistake. I told her I was willing to pay child support, and _just_ that alone. I told her I cared _only_ for the child's sake, and that the woman I really loved was Asumu. I realize now I should have _never _said that. Innocent people got hurt because of me...in more ways than one."

Battler knew not to put it past his father to tell a bit of a long story first, but he calmly said, "What about my mother? Who is she?"

Rudolf looked over at Kyrie. "Kyrie, please go."

"No, Rudolf," said Kyrie calmly. "I think I should stay to hear the rest of this."

Rudolf took a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe some sweat off his forehead. "I've already told you of how I jumped back and forth between Asumu and Kyrie," he said. "Well...it just so turned out that the conception dates of each of my children with them just happened to fall at around the same time from my going between them within a week. When that faithful day in July came rolling around, I managed to get a call from Kyrie that she, too, had gone into labour. I was kind enough to send a taxi for her while I took Asumu with me to the hospital in my car. I had them both sent to the same hospital because a selfish part of me wanted to see this other child I had with Kyrie."

"And…"

His voice faltered.

"You've gone too far to stop now, dad," said Battler firmly. "Keep going."

Rudolf sighed and shook his head. "Well...there were complications in Asumu's birth...and as a result, she gave birth to a stillborn boy. There I was, on the grip of devastation, when I found out from Kyrie's doctor that _she_ also had a baby boy who also had complications in the birth but had a strong chance of surviving. So...the idea came to me in the spurt of the moment: I would switch the two babies—I would present Asumu with the son we had been dreaming of; and Kyrie with...the child she had wanted but died. And that son...the one belonging to Kyrie...was you."

Battler was stunned. He looked over at Kyrie, but felt somehow afraid to do so. Kyrie..._she_ had been his birth mother all this time..._not_ Asumu...

"Kyrie," Battler hoarsely whispered. "Kyrie is...my mother?"

"Yes," said Rudolf, no longer able to look his son in the eye. "She is."

Kyrie stepped forward. "So," she said, "My baby has been alive all this time. For eighteen years...I lived with the grief of losing the child I always wanted...all because _you_ wanted to make _your_ wife happy. Did you even once stop to consider the grief _I_ would have to live with? All that unnecessary _grief..._for _nothing..."_

Rudolf seemed unable to look his son _or_ his wife in the eye. "Kyrie," he said, "I am sorry."

"'Sorry' can never make up for all those years I suffered," said Kyrie coldly.

Battler took a step towards Kyrie. She wasn't _just_ a big sister-type figure to him...she was his _mother..._"Kyrie," he whispered.

Kyrie turned to Battler. She looked him in the eyes and said softly, "Those eyes...those eyes that I should've looked at for eighteen years..."

She threw her arms around Battler and wept. Battler returned the hug, but did not weep. He gave his father a cold, hard look before putting his head on Kyrie's shoulder and closing his eyes, relieved to finally know who he was.


	10. Chapter 10

10

When Battler returned to Kuwadorian shortly after supper in the evening, he had recovered from his confrontation and recent discovery of his true parentage...but still wasn't sure how to feel about it. Kyrie...it should've been obvious...but he never even came _close_ to figuring it out. He felt a sense of relief to know his origins, with a mixture of guilt that he may have unintentionally driven a wedge between Rudolf and Kyrie with the revelation that he was the one responsible for her suffering...yet he supposed the old bastard really deserved it after what he put Kyrie through...but he also wanted to see them truly reconcile so that the four of them—Rudolf, Kyrie, Battler, and Ange—would truly begin to feel like a real family.

Feeling all this much all at once truly felt overwhelming to Battler. He hoped paying another visit to Beato would temporarily take his mind off of it.

'_What should I talk with her about, anyway?'_ thought Battler as he walked up to the front doors, '_Even if we talk about the game some more, what else to talk about?' _

'_Muffins? Scones?'_

After taking a few knocks, the doors were opened by Ronove. "Good evening, Master Battler," he said. "If you are here to see Lady Beatrice...be careful of what you say. She was in a bit of a bad mood after you left."

Battler suddenly remembered---_Right. I made the mistake of asking Virgilia about Beato's parents while Beato herself was within earshot, and she didn't want me to know. I forgot. Stupid me._

He said out loud, "Well, how is she now, Health-wise? And...?"

"Health-wise, her condition has not changed much, but it is a slight improvement from the past few days," said Ronove. He smiled. "As for heart-wise..."

"Hey, I didn't say anything about the _heart,"_ laughed Battler nervously, feeling his face redden. "I was just wondering if she would still want to talk to me after...you know...being in her bad mood and all."

"I have not spoken to Lady Beatrice personally," said Ronove. "But the Stakes tell me she is beginning to calm down."

"That's good," sighed Battler as he came in through the door. Ronove closed the door behind him and added, "But a woman's temperament can be like the weather: Absolutely unpredictable." He lightly chuckled.

Battler smiled and went off down the usual route to Beato's room: Up the winding stairs, then take a first left...

'_But if I do end up talking about muffins, what to say if she doesn't like muffins?'_ thought Battler as he made the short trip to Beato's room. '_Or if she DOES like muffins, what if she likes a specific kind of muffin? Gah, what am I doing; there's more at stake here than stupid muffins! No, wait, I take that back; muffins aren't stupid. They're totally irrelevant right now, but they are not stupid.'_

When Battler showed up at Beato's door, he lightly knocked. "Beato?" he said. "It's just me, Battler. Is anyone else with you?"

There was a pause on the other side before Beato answered nonchalantly, "No. You may come in."

Hoping this was a sign that Beato was in a good mood, Battler opened the door. He came in and saw Beato sitting up with the aid of her pillow, as usual. She looked neither happy nor dismayed to see him—she was indifferent.

"Want me to leave the door open?" said Battler.

"No," said Beato. "You can close it if you like."

"Er, okay," said Battler awkwardly. He closed the door behind him and walked up to the usual chair near the bed (this time, the chair that was on Beato's left). He sat down and said, "So, um...you know, Asumu, the woman whom I thought was my birth mother, died a few years ago and—"

"It happened a long time ago," said Beato sharply, now turning to face Battler. "I was too young to remember my parents and really get attached to them to even _care._ Teacher should not have brought it up, but there it is. It's dead; it's gone, now _drop it."_

Battler winced at the intensity of her tone. "Okay," he said. "Well...the only thing there is for me to talk about is the game, and..."

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm torn over what to do. I don't want to suspect my family, but I _have_ to so none of them will get killed. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe...maybe I _should_ arrange their deaths myself and... kill them... so I don't have to suspect anyone. Hey, I don't _have_ to give them a slow, painful death, right? I could always just have them poisoned or strangled or..."

"Battler," spoke up Beato, "I don't think you should. True, you _are_ the Game Master now and can do whatever you want, but by arranging their deaths, _you_ are taking responsibility for them. And if Erika can disprove your story, she will deny your existence. I was willing to take that risk, but are _you?_ You can't forget Ange."

"Right," sighed Battler. "Well, there goes _that_ plan."

"Oh, don't throw it away," said Beato quickly. "Just keep it in mind as a back-up plan if all else fails." Then, "Teacher told me about how Bernkastel had to show you what would happen if you continue to live in denial—and she's right, you know. Like it or not, you _will_ eventually have to start suspecting your family. And don't think about giving up and admitting witches exist _and_ are the cause of the murders." She smiled. "Remember what happened the _last_ time you did that?"

Battler shuddered. "Thanks for that. I was just beginning to forget all about it."

"If you thought _I_ was bad, I can assure you that whatever punishment I gave you for giving up is nothing in comparison to what Bernkastel might do to you," said Beato, sounding sincere in her warning.

"You mean there's something _worse_ than that?" said Battler, now feeling a lot more scared.

Beato lightly chuckled, "Oh, Battler, you should know by now that witches can be merciless and cruel when we want to be."

"Of course," said Battler, smiling. "Silly me, what would that make _me, _then?"

"A special exception," said Beato, giving Battler a wink. "You're really not tempted to discover the fun side of magic?"

"No thank you!" laughed Battler. "I've had enough magic for now, thank you very much!"

"I wish I could've been outside when you were practicing," laughed Beato. "I could hear your screams from all the way in here!"

"Oh, uh," said Battler, suddenly embarrassed, "Well...I knew you were listening. I was just providing you with entertainment."

Of course, Beato didn't believe a word of it. She only rolled her eyes and said, "I'm sure you were, Battler." Then, on a more serious note, "I should warn you right now: Even if you solve the mystery and win the game, Bernkastel might not be satisfied with just letting you walk away. Be on your guard in case she and Lambdadelta plan a magical ambush."

"How can they if I prove that witches don't—" Battler began, but Beato put a finger on his lips. "Are you crazy?" she said sharply. "Be careful of what you say, or else you'll accidentally deny yourself!"

Battler felt a sudden chill, though he wasn't sure if it was from the realization he really should be more careful, or from Beato's finger lying softly on his lips. She pulled her finger away and sighed, "Just be careful."

Battler realized now that, in regards of the game, nothing was coming to mind. He was thinking of what to talk about when Beato spoke: "Tell me about your family."

"What do you want to know about my family?" asked Battler.

"Nothing special," said Beato quickly. "I—I'm just _curious_ about them, that's all. Why do you care for them so much?"

"Because...they're family," was the best response Battler could come up with. "And that in itself doesn't need explanation. I mean, think about Virgilia and your furniture...aren't they something of a family to you?"

Beato shifted her legs under the blankets. "I guess so," she admitted.

"And if something happened to them," said Battler, "wouldn't you be devastated?"

To his surprise, Beato said, "Why would I be? I am—used to be—the Endless Witch. I could just revive them whenever I wanted."

Battler tried to put in a way Beato would better understand: "But now that you _don't_ have the power to revive anyone, how would you feel if they really were dead and gone and you had no way of summoning them back?"

Battler was greeted with a blank expression on Beato's face. He remembered what Virgilia had told him in the third game...about how some Endless Witches did not truly understand the boundaries of life and death...he realized now that what she had said wasn't just part of her 'North Wind and the Sun' strategy to trick Battler. It was the truth. Beato seemed to genuinely not understand the permanency of death.

Seeing that this conversation was going nowhere, Battler said, "Remember when I found out that Asumu wasn't my mother? Well...it turns out that Kyrie, the woman whom I thought was my step-mother, really was my birth mother all along. And that my father had been lying to me all along."

"Aren't you mad at him for that?" asked Beato.

Battler sighed and rubbed his head. "I'm not sure," he said honestly. "I don't know how I feel about him or Kyrie anymore. It's all confusing to me. I'm still trying to sort my feelings out. But I suppose that deep down I could never _truly_ hate him. He _is_ my father, after all."

"And just for that, you don't hate him?" said Beato slowly.

"Uh...yeah," said Battler. "I guess. Because he's my _dad_ and..."

'_That's right,'_ he realized, '_Her father is dead. She doesn't understand._ _What should I talk to her about that she would understand?'_

"I like muffins," Battler burst out.

Beato looked at him strangely then said, "I prefer scones. They go with my tea." She sighed, "And of course, I also occasionally love some chocolate and sweets...oh, and some ice cream..."

"What's your favourite flavour?" asked Battler. "I like chocolate."

"Me too," said Beato, surprised that she and Battler shared an interest in chocolate ice cream. "I don't get to have it very often, so it's always a treat when I do."

"What, Ronove doesn't spoil you enough?" said Battler jokingly.

"Not nearly as much as he should," said Beato with a toss of her hair. "I _did_ used to be the Endless Witch, after all. Now he has to spoil _you;_ oh well. You wouldn't mind if I steal a cookie from you, would you?"

"You would have to catch me first," said Battler teasingly. "Ah, but we have no cookies or ice cream or tea up here, so too bad. How about I summon Ronove?"

Battler nearly fell over in his chair when Ronove suddenly appeared in the middle of the room in a burst of gold. "You called, sir?"

"No, no, it's okay," said Battler quickly. "I was just joking around. How did I _do_ that anyway?"

"Take it as a sign you're slowly but surely getting better at using your magic," said Ronove. "You just have a tendency to concentrate when you don't intend to. Keep practicing and you will get better. Do you wish me to stay longer?"

"No, it's okay," said Battler.

"What about milady?" said Ronove, "Does _she_ wish me to stay?"

Beato looked over at Battler. "I'll be fine, Ronove. You may leave."

Ronove took a bow and disappeared. Battler turned to Beato and said, "Does he really nosebleed rose petals?"

Beato laughed.

* * *

The two began to find it easier to talk, bit by bit. They did not speak of anything important; only of trivial matters such as candy and the habits of the Seven Stakes. They would be trivial subjects anywhere else, but here, they were crucial as they helped break the ice between the two. They now felt at ease with each other, able to talk about even the silliest things. Soon, however, Battler had to stand up and leave.

"Well, what do you know," said Battler. "The first time a meeting of ours does not end on an awkward note! Isn't this nice?"

"I think we should fix that," said Beato, batting her eyelashes at Battler.

"You're right, we should," said Battler firmly. "I am wearing Leprechaun underwear right now!"

"I would love to see _that,"_ laughed Beato. She stopped laughing when she realized the implication behind that statement and met his eyes.

"Well, er...goodnight," said Battler with a wave of his hand. "See you again."

At this, Beato seemed to shy away. "Good night," she said before adjusting her pillow so she would be lying in bed once more.

As Battler left the room, he saw Virgilia standing nearby, causing him to nearly jump. "Oh, hello, Virgilia," he said innocently. "You haven't been standing there the _entire_ time, have you?"

"Oh no, I only came up here just now," said Virgilia. "I had to get away from Gaap and her...remarks...while we were playing a game of Old Maid with the Stakes." Then, "Have you and Beato been getting along?"

"Yeah, just swell," laughed Battler, not sure why he was feeling nervous about answering that question.

"That's good to hear," said Virgilia. "She's fond of you."

"Oh," said Battler. "That's...nice to hear."

Virgilia then said, "I don't know if you already know this, but two days ago I sent out emergency invitations to Rosa and Maria and—"

"Yes, I heard," nodded Battler. "They're coming in tomorrow, right?"

"If everything goes according to plan, they should," said Virgilia.

"I wonder if I should bring Maria over to visit," said Battler thoughtfully. "She and Beato get along pretty well."

"It wouldn't hurt to try," shrugged Virgilia. "Beato has taken a liking to her."

"Then I guess I'll bring her over on the first chance I get," shrugged Battler. As he began to walk off, Virgilia walked up to him and said, "By the way, if you're trying to win over Beato's affection...when she was a little girl, she always wanted a doll. There were no toys around Kuwadorian, and she would get jealous when reading books about girls with dolls and long for one herself. Just saying…."

Battler smiled. "Thanks, Virgilia. I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Battler took a walk through the halls of the Ushiromiya mansion. He felt a strange sense of security, that nothing could ever touch or harm him. He wondered if this was genuine self-confidence, or if it came with being the Endless Sorcerer.

He was about to walk around a corner when he stopped. He saw Kanon and Jessica talking. He thought, '_O-oh. This could be interesting.'_ He took a step back and strained to listen.

"Kanon-kun," Jessica was saying, "I'm not trying to intimidate you or anything. I really care for you, I really do."

"Jessica," said Kanon's voice, "I'm not sure if _I_ can go through with it. If...if any of your relatives found out..."

"Oh, to hell with what they say already!" cried Jessica. "Listen, Kanon-kun, we _will_ go through with this. As soon as everyone arrives, we will do this together."

As much as Battler wanted to assume they were just talking about announcing their relationship to the family, he knew there was another possibility: That they were, in fact, plotting to murder the rest of the family together. For what reason, he was not sure. Perhaps it was to free Jessica from the restrictions placed upon her by the family, or perhaps it was to free Kanon of being the furniture for the Ushiromiya household. Or maybe, it was to work to both their benefits—so they could be together and no one would protest to it.

Battler heard the sound of footsteps. Now that the conversation was over, he decided now was a good time to talk to Jessica and see if he could get anything out of her. He walked down the hall and right past Kanon. He was briefly worried that Kanon had seen him and figured out he had been listening. He breathed a sigh of relief when Kanon didn't give so much as a 'hello'. He saw Jessica going back into her room. He ran up to her room and said, "Hey, Jessica."

Jessica turned around and saw Battler. "Oh, Battler," she said, surprised. "I didn't expect to see _you_ here." Then, "You, ah...you really weren't listening to Kanon and I just now, were you?"

Battler looked into Jessica's eyes and for a moment, felt paralyzed with fear. If she really was the murderer...and if he admitted to having overheard part of her scheme...he would be in grave danger. "No," he said. "I _just_ came by. Kanon walked right past me."

There was only a space of three seconds before Jessica spoke again, but it felt like three hours before she sighed, "Kanon-kun. I wish he would shake off this furniture complex already. I want him to see he's so much more than what other people make him out to be."

She shook her head, "But enough of that. There's something I need your help with right now."

Jessica led Battler over to her bed. She bent down and picked up a small box and placed it on the bed. She opened it up to reveal quite a few dolls, all of different sizes, hair colours, and dressing style. "I've outgrown most of these," she explained. "I'm thinking of giving some of these away to Ange and Maria. Why don't you look through them and find something fitting for them?"

"Hmm, well, I think one of Rosa's letters to dad said Maria was interested in the occult recently," said Battler, pulling out a doll with long, black hair wearing a black dress with spider web stockings and laced up boots. "So she might like this doll since it kind of looks like a witch."

He placed that down in one pile on the bed. He picked up another doll from the box. This doll was truly unique from many of the others. She had long, curly blonde hair and navy blue eyes, bearing a bit of a resemblance to Jessica. She wore a long pink dress the colour of strawberry ice cream, with a pink coat and a red ribbon around her neck. The edge of her dress was decorated with small red roses that had white ribbons attached to them. And for a head ornament, she wore a white veil pinned back by small roses. She looked very Western, not at all like the other Eastern dolls in Jessica's collection.

"This doll sure is unique," remarked Battler.

"Oh yeah, I got that as a gift when dad went to this little toy store in a small town a few years ago," said Jessica. "But I didn't play with it as much as some of the other ones. Thinking of giving that to Ange?"

"Sure," said Battler. However, as he stroked the doll's cheeks, he thought back to what Virgilia had said...about how Beato had always wanted a doll...

Battler smiled. "I have just the right girl in mind for this."


	11. Chapter 11

11

The next day, at his usual time, Battler arrived shortly after lunch at the mansion. Once again, he was greeted by Ronove at the doors.

"Good morning, Master Battler," said Ronove after opening up the doors for Battler.

"Morning, Ronove," said Battler. "How's Beato?"

"It pleases me to say milady is beginning to feel better," said Ronove. "She still has 'episodes', but they occur less frequently, and she has past the absolute worst of them now." With a knowing wink, he said, "And she likes to talk about you a lot."

"Does she now?" said Battler nonchalantly.

"Oh yes," said Ronove. He noticed Battler was holding something behind his back and said, "Is that a gift for milady?"

"Indeed it is!" said Battler, showing Ronove the doll.

"My, that doll is quite the beauty," mused Ronove. "Lady Beatrice will love it. Assuming her pride doesn't get in the way, that is," he added.

"I wouldn't put it past her," said Battler, heading for the stairs. "Well, wish me luck, Ronove."

"Good luck, Master Battler," said Ronove with a smile. "You'll certainly need it."

* * *

"Feeling better?" said Virgilia as she brushed Beato's hair. She had laid a small tray of chocolate chip cookies for Beato to nibble on—her last 'episode' that involved vomiting had happened last night, but she said her stomach felt perfectly fine today and insisted on having cookies after lunch, as she was feeling rather hungry.

Beato, while sitting up in bed nibbling on a cookie, said, "I guess so."

"That's good to hear," said Virgilia, smiling. "I think you should be as good as new sometime within the next few days or so. Just take it easy."

Gaap, who was folding towels by the window with Lucifer, said, "Last time I looked out the window, your boyfriend was just coming in through the garden."

"He—he's not my boyfriend!" said Beato indignantly. "I mean sure, I like talking with him, but he's not my boyfriend!"

She thought she heard Lucifer mutter, "tsundere, tsundere," but before she had a chance to confront her over it, the door was gently pushed open. In came Battler with both hands behind his back, sporting an unusual smile. "Good morning, Beato," he said.

"Good morning, Battler," said Beato, trying to keep herself composed to show she did not have feelings for him. She lay her cookie down on the tray.

Battler walked up to the bed and said, "I have a present for you."

"Oh?" said Beato. "What could it be?"

Battler then pulled out his hands from behind his back to reveal a gorgeous doll. "Here you go," he said cheerfully. "I found this one just for you."

Battler observed her reaction. First, she had a look of surprise. Then, her cheeks flushed and she stammered, "For me? R-really? Uh, well, I'm not really into dolls..."

Lucifer snickered. Battler ignored this and said, "Well, I just thought you might want something to keep you company at night."

Beato looked hesitant. Virgilia said, "My, Battler, this _is_ kind of you. Beato, why don't you thank him for the thought?"

Beato looked over from Virgilia to Battler. She sighed and took the doll in her hands. "Thank you," she said. "This will make a nice decoration." She placed the doll on her nightstand next to the plate of cookies. She turned to Battler and added, "But I'm accepting it just to be polite. I'm not taking it out of any _feelings_ for you, so...so don't get the wrong idea!"

Gaap smiled and whispered to Lucifer, "How much longer till she switches over from 'tsun' to 'dere'?"

Lucifer smirked. "Not very," she whispered back. She then said a little bit louder, "So, Gaap, how about we go take these towels downstairs?"

"Sounds just about right to me," said Gaap cheerfully. The two smiled knowingly at Battler and Beato before disappearing into a black hole.

"Aren't they ever charming," muttered Beato, rolling her eyes.

Virgilia then said, "You two wouldn't mind if I left you alone for a while, would you?"

"Of course not," said Battler, sitting down on the bed and laying his hand on top of Beato's. Virgilia smiled at this gesture and said, "Then I'll just leave you be."

She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her to give the two some privacy. It was only then that Battler realized he had been resting his hand on Beato's hand. He pulled it back and lightly laughed, moving to the usual chair. He cleared his throat and said, "So, uh...I have a theory. It was kind of shot down by Lambdadelta, but it's one I'm still keeping in mind because she didn't _outright _shoot it down. If I tell you, you'll definitely confirm it, right?"

"Oh, but _that_ would be no fun, no fun at all," yawned Beato. "But go ahead—tell me what you've come up with this time. Let me guess—for the second twilight of the third game, someone planted small bombs inside Rosa's head, and the person who strangled Maria did it by sticking their arms out of a cardboard box."

"Hey, I was desperate," said Battler defensively while Beato laughed. "No, I've come up with something else regarding the methods of how these killings are being done—I _think_ my cousins can be eliminated. My original theory was that it would be impossible for them to sneak out of the guest house without waking up anyone else, but Lambdadelta said we were _all_ out like a light and that no one would've noticed any of us coming in and out. _But_ that doesn't necessarily mean any of them committed murder; it would just mean none of them would notice anyone else sneaking around outside—someone else who _was_ committing the murders, right? Right?"

"Well," said Beato slowly, "you're on the right track, and that's all I'm going to say."

"So none of my cousins did it?" said Battler hopefully.

"Not necessarily," said Beato, keeping a blank, innocent look on her face. Well, as innocent as someone like Beato _could_ look.

Battler sighed, "It's useless. It's all useless." He leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"Battler?" said Beato. "When I'm feeling better...would you like to play a game of chess with me?"

Battler leaned forward and looked at her face, trying to catch something that would suggest she meant something more sinister. But she looked sincere... Of course, she had also looked sincere when she had tricked him. "Just a regular game of ordinary chess?" asked Battler suspiciously.

"Yes," said Beato, "Just...chess. You know, just to keep you on track. Your game with Bernkastel requires you to think like a chess master, remember?"

"Hmm," said Battler thoughtfully. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." He joked, "Hopefully, you're less vicious in a simple game of chess than in a mind game of chess!"

He laughed, but then stopped when he noticed Beato wasn't laughing with him. She said stiffly, "You should know."

"What do you mean?" said Battler. Beato wouldn't give him an answer. He said, "Okay, well, let's talk about something else. Like..."

"...like what you're doing with that pink cloth sticking out of your pocket," said Beato, leaning forward and snatching the blanket out of Battler's pants pocket. He cried out, "Hey! I need that!"

"For what?" laughed Beato, dangling the blanket in front of him. "No, wait; on second thought, _don't_ tell me!" She laughed and turned the blanket about. She stopped laughing when she saw the name inscribed. She lightly ran her fingers over the stitching. "Maria…" she said softly. "Where did you get this?"

"It was at the bottom of an old toy chest back at the main mansion," said Battler. The blanket seemed to have caught her interest.

"This looks familiar," murmured Beato. "Can I keep it?"

"Actually, I need that just to confirm something," said Battler. "You can have it back when I'm done with it, though."

"Oh," said Beato, handing the blanket back over to Battler. Battler wondered what it was about the name on the blanket that had intrigued her. He knew she was on friendly terms with Maria; had she met her when she was a baby? He would ask later after confirming this belonged to Maria. He stuffed the blanket in his pocket and said, "How lonely do you get around here?"

He wasn't sure what made him say that, but it caused Beato's eyes to shine over with sadness. It made her look cute. She finally said, "Well, it's not like anyone else _knows_ about Kuwadorian...and as you saw in that little flashback of Rosa's, you can probably guess the incident left her too scared of the place to ever return. So yes...I was a bit lonely." She was quick to add, "But I didn't live here by myself. I had Teacher and Ronove by my side."

"Where did Gaap and the stakes come from?" asked Battler.

Beato seemed a bit hesitant to answer that. Then, a mysterious smile made its way across her lips. "That, you will never know," she said, all of a sudden looking very mischievous.

"Ah, you never do tell me anything, do you?" laughed Battler. "Such as, why you dare to leave these delicious-looking cookies unguarded?" He then swiped the tray and danced around the bed with it while Beato cried out, "Hey! Come back! No fair! You know I can't get up and chase after you! Grr..."

Battler laughed and leaped onto the other side of the bed. As he did so, the cookies bounced off the tray and onto the blankets. He crawled over to pick some of the cookies up and put them back on their tray. His hand had reached over to one cookie...at the same time Beato's hand did.

Their hands touched, causing them to look up and into each other's eyes. There was a sudden silence between them; a silence that could only be described as...absolutely beautiful. They felt a strange feeling from touching hands. It almost felt like...a spark.

Then they realized...they were holding hands. They quickly separated and looked away awkwardly. Battler quickly scooped up the rest of the cookies onto the tray. He brushed some of the crumbs off the bed before picking up the tray, getting off the bed, and walking around to Beato's nightstand. He placed it down next to the doll and picked up a cookie. He looked into Beato's eyes and said meekly, "Cookie?"

* * *

The time for Battler to leave seemed to come almost too fast; the two had loosened up, briefly forgetting their little 'moment' and sharing childhood anecdotes, him sharing stories of the moments he had shared with Rudolf and Asumu, her reminiscing on her training with Virgilia, when Virgilia herself came in. "My, I'm glad to see you two are getting along well," she mused. "But Battler, I think it is time for you to leave. You've been here nearly an hour."

"Have I?" said Battler, standing up. "Wow, I guess time flies by when you're having fun."

"So you had fun with me?" said Beato, drawing her knees to her chest and leaning her head on them. She blinked like a confused kitten.

"Of course," said Battler, patting one hand on Beato's head. At this, she brought her head up and allowed her legs to stretch out. Battler added, "It's a relief not be stabbed and torn at every time I get an answer wrong, so yeah—now that you're not killing me and reviving me every so often, I kind of like you. Well, see you again."

As he began to head off, he heard Beato say, "Stop saying that."

Battler turned around. "Stop saying what?"

"'_See you again'_," muttered Beato, looking less happy than before. "I just...don't like it being said that way."

"Oh," said Battler, not sure why she didn't like that phrase. "Well then. Goodbye, Beato. I don't know if I'll be able to see you this evening since Aunt Rosa and Maria are coming in, but maybe tomorrow, okay?"

"Maria," murmured Beato. "It would be nice to see her again. Well, goodbye, Battler."

Battler smiled and headed off. After he closed the door, Virgilia said, "I really see no reason why you can't just tell him of his sin."

"It... it doesn't matter anymore," muttered Beato. "I've decided that if he doesn't know, then...he doesn't know. Bernkastel and Lambdadelta had their fun with me when I gave up. I'm done with giving them that pleasure."

"But if you continue to act this uncomfortable over the subject around him," said Virgilia, "he might take it to mean you don't feel comfortable around _him."_

"But it's too personal," sighed Beato, rubbing her arms. "I mean, what would he say if he knew about...you know...what happened after..."

"I don't think he would blame you for it," said Virgilia gently, sitting next to Beato, who had stopped rubbing her arms and laid them at her side. "And you don't _have_ to tell him what happened with you and Kinzo. If you like, you can leave that detail out and instead just remind him of his promise to you."

"But I _hated_ him for it," sighed Beato. "And I _don't _hate him. I clapped together with him. I sat with my _back_ to him; even if it was only an act, it still felt kind of...nice. The time I spend with him gives me this...feeling."

"Oh?" said Virgilia with a smile. "What sort of feeling?"

"Teacher, are you being nosy?" said Beato, glaring at Virgilia. _"You _were the one who told him about my wanting a doll, weren't you?"

Virgilia smiled innocently, which gave Beato her answer. She 'hmphed' and said, "Well, I've outgrown dolls, just so you know. I'll keep her as a decoration, but...it's not like I'm going to actually _play_ with her." She yawned and said, "I'm going to sleep now. Wake me when it's dinnertime, Teacher."

"I will," said Virgilia, watching her disciple lean back onto the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Beato," she said sadly. "Kinzo was kind enough to keep it a secret from you...I wonder if I should tell you myself one day. But if you knew...you would never speak to me again."

* * *

As it turned out, Battler could not arrive again because it was at around six-thirty in the evening that the family stood out on the docks greeting Rosa and Maria. Battler knew there was no way he'd be able to leave now without anyone noticing; he told himself there would always be tomorrow.

Battler strained to listen for the sound of seagulls scattering, but there was no such sound. He wondered if he would ever get to hear them again. He also began to wonder if, perhaps, one of the victory conditions for winning was to hear the seagulls cry. It seemed to be a silly thought, but it somehow represented a cry of victory...the sound that would give him the assurance that yes, he HAD won the game this time.

"Uu!"

Battler smiled at the sight of Maria running up to him. He briefly wondered if she remembered any of the past games before saying, "Ah, you must be Maria."

Maria nodded eagerly. "Uu! Mama says you are Battler!"

"Now, Maria," said Rosa, walking up to her carrying two suitcases, "Be polite."

Battler was about to ask Maria if he could talk to her in private when Ange said, "Onii-chan, why are mommy and daddy standing away from each other like that?"

Battler noticed only now that Kyrie and Rudolf were distanced from each other. Kyrie was at one side of the dock, and Rudolf was on the other side standing far away from Kyrie. Not wanting to burden Ange with the thought that he had been responsible for making their parents hate each other, he said, "Oh, they just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. By the time we leave, they will be all right again."

_I hope,_ he silently added.

* * *

It was later that night that Beato awoke and felt unable to return to sleep. She sat up in bed and looked out the window. Maria had to be here by now, she was sure of it. She wondered what Maria would think if she were here now and could see her idol...like this...she wouldn't be one to mock or judge, but would she _still_ admire her if she found out Beato was just as vulnerable as everyone else?

It struck again without warning, as usual—that familiar sharp pain in her chest that made Beato topple over and gasp for air, despite knowing it was useless. The pain was beginning to spread now...it would be the same as always...it was beginning to hurt worse and worse...

Without thinking, Beato grabbed the doll on her nightstand and hugged it tight to her chest, coughing as the pain grew more intense. That familiar sensation of being on fire was coming back...along with her bones being crushed...

Beato dug her nails into the doll, thinking, '_God, I just want to DIE right now...but I can't. I...I have to stay strong...I can do this...Battler is right beside me...'_

She heard the sound of the door opening, followed by footsteps. She knew it was Virgilia long before opening her eyes. She felt Virgilia's hand lightly rub her back saying, "It will be all right, just hang on. You will be okay."

'_Yeah...it'll be okay,'_ Beato found herself thinking, in replacement of her usual mental pleas for death. '_It's bad now… but just imagine Battler-kun right there...he's holding your hand...he's giving you his usual smile...'_

Beato herself was never sure just how long these 'episodes' truly lasted. They felt like they were lasting for years...but to her surprise, she felt the pain lessening after only a few minutes of telling herself to imagine Battler being right there. It was still bad, though not _as_ bad as a few minutes before. She let out a breath, relieved to breathe again. She closed her eyes, ready to fall back asleep.

Virgilia smiled and gently helped Beato back down. She noticed Beato was still hugging the doll to her chest. She thought about removing it, and then decided to let her sleep with it.

'_After all,'_ she reasoned, '_Beato doesn't show her 'dere' side enough as she should.'_


	12. Chapter 12

12

The next morning, Battler had just changed into his clothes when he heard the sound of wailing from outside. He ran out the door, hoping something hadn't happened to Ange. When he got out to the rose garden, however, he saw a sight that should not have surprised him, given all that he had witnessed in the previous games: A wailing Maria standing below a furious Rosa.

The two saw Battler coming their way. Battler began to say, "What happened?" but then Rosa cut him off harshly: "Maria was having a temper tantrum just now. I was _just_ calming her down."

"Uu-_waaaah!"_ screeched Maria, tears flowing down the bright red handprints on both of her cheeks.

Rosa's hand struck Maria's face. _"I told you to stop saying that!"_ she screeched.

Battler felt a twinge of compassion for Maria. One of the things he hated the most about his past games with Beato was Rosa's abuse of Maria—the first time it had happened, he assumed it was just a one-time thing; after all, many parents occasionally lost their temper from time-to-time. But to find out that this was something occurring on a regular basis was heartbreaking.

"Aunt Rosa, she's only nine years old," said Battler gently.

"Exactly!" snapped Rosa, spinning to face Battler. _"She's nine years old!_ Do you even _know_ what the other kids at school say about her? Did you know she used to bring _toys_ to school? Or that she scares her classmates with her _creepy_ talk of witches?"

"Uu, Beatrice exists," whimpered Maria.

Rosa was about to strike Maria once more, when a sudden courage that Battler never knew he had caused him to grab Rosa by the wrist. "Aunt Rosa," said Battler calmly but firmly, "Give me a few minutes alone with Maria. I'll calm her down. In the mean time, you can go back inside the house and wait."

Battler wasn't sure where he got this confidence or courage from—did it come from being the Endless Sorcerer? Or had he just become a stronger person from his trials and tribulations in the games? Rosa, however, seemed to believe Battler, for once he let go of her, she looked down at Maria then back to Battler. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll go in and wait for her. But _don't_ judge me and _don't _try to tell me how to raise my daughter. You have _no idea_ what it's like to be a single parent and bear the responsibility _alone."_

"I'm not judging you," said Battler calmly. Deciding not to let her know that he knew her abuse of Maria wasn't a one-time thing, he added, "Every parent loses their temper every now and then. Just don't let it happen again, okay?"

These words of assurance seemed to sooth the beast within Rosa. She said calmly, "It won't happen again. I will be a much, much better mommy from now on. Thank you, Battler-kun."

Battler watched Rosa walk away before turning to Maria. He ruffled her hair and said, "Now Maria, tell me what's the matter."

Maria looked up at Battler, her eyes brimming with tears. "Maria marked her rose last night," she said. "I wanted to show Mama my rose, so I took her out here and _tried_ to show her, but then Mama got mad after I told her about Beatrice. She kept telling Maria "Beatrice doesn't exist" and..." She picked up the withered remains of her rose up off the ground. "Mama was probably just trying to give the rose to Maria," she reasoned. "But it fell out of her hands and she got frustrated and stomped on it. Maybe that's all it is."

Battler decided not to tell Maria of what her mother's true intentions were. Instead, he said, "Maria...how would you like to see Beatrice right now?"

Maria's eyes grew wide, "Right now?"

"Yes," said Battler. "She lives in a mansion just on the other side of the island. Why don't you come with me and I'll take you to her?"

At this, Maria's mood changed in an instant. She jumped up and down and cried out, "Uu! Yes! Take me there! Maybe Beato can fix Maria's rose!"

"We'll see when we get there," said Battler calmly, deciding now was not the time to tell Maria that Beato now lacked the power to fix anything.

* * *

"Here we are," announced Battler as he helped Maria slip in through the gap of the iron gate. "This is Beato's home."

"Wow!" gasped Maria. "It's _beautiful!_ It's just like the castles from those fairy tales Mama used to read to me every night...uu! Where's Beato?"

"Milady is indoors," said a proper, elegant voice. Maria gasped at the sight of Ronove and said, "Uu! Good morning, Ronove!"

"Good day to you, Lady Maria," said Ronove with the proper smile. "Lady Beatrice has told me a lot about you. She says you aspire to be a witch just like her."

"Uu! Maria knows all about witches!" said Maria eagerly. "Maria hopes to reach Beatrice's level some day!"

Battler raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're a witch _already,"_ he chuckled.

"Kihihihi," was Maria's response and one of her pupils grew unnaturally large. She blinked and her eyes returned to normal, relieving Battler of a temporary chill. "Where's Beatrice? Is she around here somewhere?"

"Well first of all, she goes by 'Beato' now," said Battler. "And second, she's waiting inside for us." He took Maria by the hand and walked up to the front doors together with her. Ronove walked up to the front doors and opened them for the pair.

Maria was taken aback by the inside of Kuwadorian. "Wow!" she breathed as the doors closed behind them.

"Yes, that's what I thought when I first came here, too," laughed Battler. He was nearly knocked over by Satan, who was chasing Beelzebub, who was keeping a basket full of croissants away from Satan. They stopped running when they saw Maria. "Maria!" they both said, surprised.

"Hello," said Maria, smiling. "I am here to see Beato. Where is she now?"

"She's up in her room," replied Beelzebub, "Playing with her doll." She gasped and covered her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to say that in the presence of Battler."

"I won't say a word," said Battler with a smile.

"Beato plays with dolls?" said Maria, surprised. Then, "Well, it wouldn't be anything unusual—Maria used to have..." Her voice faltered. She shook her head. "Let's go upstairs, Battler."

Battler said, "Follow me." He took Maria down the hall to the stairs. As they walked up together, Battler thought, '_Hmm...Maria seems to be on a first-name basis with pretty much every witch around here. It makes me wonder...'_

"Hey, Maria," said Battler when they made it to the top of the stairs, "Do you recognize this blanket?" He pulled the blanket out of his pocket and handed it to Maria, who looked at it curiously. "It has Maria's name on it," she said.

"Yes, and I was wondering if maybe it belonged to your mother at some point," said Battler.

Maria shook her head. "No," she said. "Mama has Maria's blanket at home—it's white and has Maria's name in kanji. And it has cherry blossoms, not a teddy bear. Sorry."

"Oh," said Battler. "Are you sure?"

"Uu, quite sure," said Maria, nodding furiously.

"Interesting," murmured Battler. He took a left and said, "This way, Maria." He suddenly stopped at the sound of words being spoken. He gestured for Maria to walk very softly. He could hear Beato saying in a soft, sweet voice she didn't use very often, "Will you take one sugar or two sugars with your tea, Aiko?

...Not thirsty, I see. Then how about I brush your hair? It looks _very_ dirty."

Battler's grin grew even wider. He had to suppress it and put on a perfectly neutral expression before opening up the door and walking in. Sure enough, he found Beato sitting up in bed giving her doll a good brush. Beato turned at the sound of Battler coming in and was caught with the brush to the doll's hair.

Now Battler had to smile. "Glad to see you're enjoying my present," he said.

At this, Beato's face reddened. She quickly put the brush and doll aside on the nightstand and stammered, "Ah...i—it's not what you think, I... I was just...untangling the knots because she...wasn't dignified enough and anything belonging to me needs to look...um..."

"Beato!"

In his eagerness to catch Beato off-guard, Battler had nearly forgotten about Maria, who stood in the doorway, her happy, eager expression having fallen off her face. She looked worried over seeing someone whom she looked up to as her idol now resting in bed, looking as though she had been there for a while.

Beato's eyes met Maria's. She put on a smile and said gently, "Welcome, Maria. Please come in."

Maria slowly walked up to the bed and sat down in the chair where Battler (who was now standing just over the bed) usually sat. "Beato," she said, sounding genuinely concerned, "Are you sick?"

"I'm getting better," said Beato. "And I'm not contagious, so don't worry about me. I'll be up and about again very soon."

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" said Maria.

Beato lightly patted Maria on the head. "Of course I am," she said. She briefly looked over to Battler. They both silently resolved not to tell Maria of the pain Beato had been in up until now.

"Beato," said Maria, pulling out what was left of her rose and placing it on the nightstand, "Can you fix my rose? It got stepped on. Remember whenever something got broken? You would always fix it. You can fix my rose now, right?"

A look of guilt made its way across Beato's face. It was painful for her to look into the blind faith in Maria's eyes. This child had always relied on Beato's magic, always assuming that no matter what happened, she would always be there to make everything better. Now she no longer possessed the magic to fix that which was broken. She began to feel truly guilty for building up false hopes in this child.

"Maria," said Beato softly, "I am sorry, but I cannot fix your rose."

"Why?" asked Maria, her eyes beginning to shine over.

"Because," said Beato, "I am no longer a witch."

"_Why?"_ repeated Maria, tears now beginning to spill over.

"Because…" spoke up Battler, "I revoked her powers."

Maria turned to face Battler. "You, Battler?" she said, surprised.

"Yes," said Battler, not sure how to explain it. "It's a very long, very complicated story, but...to make a long story short, Beato was placed in a life threatening situation and the only way to save her was to make her mortal. So I did just that. It saved her life, but it also took away her powers."

Maria looked at Battler curiously. "How could you do that?" she said. "Are you a sorcerer, Battler?"

Battler realized he had just given himself away, so he knew there was no good in denying it without killing himself: "Well, if you prefer to think of me that way, then yes. I now hold Beato's former position—I am the Endless Sorcerer. I now hold the power to repair whatever it is you need repairing at your leisure. Here, let me have that rose."

Maria picked up the remainders of the rose and reluctantly placed them into Battler's hands. Battler closed his eyes and struggled to remember...what had this rose looked like when he first saw it? It stood apart from all the other roses; that was certain...but how so?

The petals?

The thorns?

He opened up his eyes to see the rose beginning to come together...ultimately, he realized he could not remember and sighed sadly and the rose fell apart. He handed it back to Maria. "I'm sorry, Maria. I couldn't fix it."

Maria's bottom lip trembled. Beato spoke: "Maria, why don't you try putting it back together yourself? This was part of our training, remember?"

"Training?" said Battler, who was paradoxically both surprised and not surprised.

"I've been training Maria in the ways of magic," said Beato. "Now come, Maria. What form did it have? Can you show me what form it once had?"

Maria closed her eyes and hummed a song to herself. Before their eyes, the rose began to come back together and soon, it was as though it had never been trampled on. Maria opened up her eyes and jumped out of the chair crying out, "I did it! I did it!"

"See?" said Beato, lightly patting Maria on the head once again. "You managed to do it all by yourself. You didn't need any help. You have had the power to do it all along. Just remember, Maria: The source of all power is belief. As long as your belief is strong, your powers will never fail you."

Battler then realized that maybe the difference between him and Maria—how she could put her own rose back together with no difficulty at all, yet he still struggled to put a birdhouse together—had everything to do with belief. He could no longer deny magic now that he had become a sorcerer, yet part of him did not believe he truly possessed any power. He doubted he had any magic ability whatsoever. And it was because he did not believe that his magic failed. He had to believe in magic—_really _believe in it, not just believe so he could continue to fight for Beato's sake—in order to succeed as a sorcerer.

He noticed Maria beginning to smile at Beato, and her smiling back. They knew the secret of magic...and they could make it work. He vowed to himself that from that moment on, he would work at building up his belief. Then maybe, just _maybe_, he would be able to succeed.

* * *

They stayed for another hour and a half, chatting with Beato, until all too soon, it was time for them to leave. Battler decided to leave Maria alone to talk with Beato for a few more minutes while he went outside to find Virgilia, who was sitting in the pavilion having a sip of tea.

"Good morning, Virgilia," said Battler, taking a seat next to her.

"Good morning, Battler," said Virgilia politely. "I saw you and Maria going up to Beato's room. How is Maria doing?"

"She's doing okay," shrugged Battler. "She's kind of disappointed that Beato can't use magic anymore, but she's okay."

Virgilia sighed, "That child should've known better than to show off her magic ability. I warned her about giving Maria false hope, but she just laughed and said, 'Now, Teacher, my magic isn't going to vanish in thin air any time soon.' I hope she now sees where I was coming from."

"I'm sure she does," said Battler. A sudden theory had struck him on the way down, and he was going to follow up on it. He said, "The name 'Beatrice' is really just a title, right?"

Virgilia took a sip of tea. "That is correct," she said.

"So then Beato would've had a name _before_ having the Beatrice title passed down to her," said Battler thoughtfully. "By any chance, was her birth name Maria?"

Virgilia lightly chuckled, "Quite the detective, aren't you? Yes, her birth name was Maria, just like the child she has developed a bond with. I've always thought that the reason why she took such a liking to that child was because when she looks at Maria, she sees a reflection of _herself._ Beato was very much like Maria at that age—she had a fascination with witchcraft, showed early signs of a potential ability to become a true witch, yet also acted a little 'off' around the servants, and didn't have much in the way of friends. That, combined with the fact that they share a first name, tells me she truly feels compassionate to Maria's troubles in life and wants to help her. She sees her as a potential successor to carry on the name should she ever tire of it."

"That explains a lot," said Battler. "Well, to avoid future confusion, can I continue to call her 'Beato' as that _is_ her name now in a technical sense?"

"Of course," nodded Virgilia. "Call her whatever you like."

"That confirms at least one theory," said Battler out loud.

"A theory?" asked Virgilia curiously.

"Yes," said Battler, pulling out the pink blanket. "I found this in the old toy chest at the Ushiromiya mansion. I first thought it belonged to my _cousin_ Maria, but now it turns out that it belongs to _that_ Maria. Even if it gets me nowhere else in the investigation, I just thought it would be worth checking out." He lightly pushed it over to Virgilia. "Beato wanted it earlier, so you can give it to her when you can."

Virgilia put her cup of tea aside and took the blanket in her hands. "I made this blanket," she said softly, running her fingers over the lettering. "I made this for her mother." She lightly chuckled, "Angela told me I shouldn't assume she's having a girl until after the baby's born and we find out then, but I told her, "Angela, my intuition tells me you are having a girl, and so I insist you take this blanket"!" She laughed and sighed, "Oh, those were the days. I asked her what she and Christopher wanted to name their baby if it was a girl, and... Oh, that's right, I didn't tell you; they were an Italian couple. Her father's job was to help manage the fortune to make sure it was not lost a second time. Well anyway, she wanted the name 'Maria'. And so I stitched in the lettering...and I had just completed it when I was told the news that..." Virgilia's voice faltered. She sighed sadly, "Well, at least it ultimately ended up being used as Beato's blanket. And after her father died, I vowed to take care of her as though she were my own daughter. I was lucky that Kinzo saw me fit to raise her, even if it was with the help of other servants."

Virgilia placed the blanket down in her lap. She took another sip of tea. Battler was beginning to view Virgilia in a different light of respect. It must have been very difficult for her to manage the role of both a mentor _and_ a mother-figure to Beato. She must have been torn apart by grief to lose two good friends within a short period of time, yet she managed to carry on and raise her friends' child.

"Maria should be coming down at any minute," said Virgilia. "I think it is just about time for you to go."

As if on cue, Maria came skipping out of the mansion. She stopped when she saw Virgilia. "Uu! Good day, Lady Virgilia!"

"And good day to you, Lady Maria," said Virgilia. "I hope to see you stop by again."

"Uu!" said Maria enthusiastically as she and Battler left through the gap in the gate.

"I was hoping you wouldn't be _too_ disheartened by the sight of Beato in bed," said Battler as they began to walk through the forest.

"Uu, I hope Beato gets well soon," said Maria enthusiastically. "She looked really happy when I saw her. But when Maria tried asking her about the doll, she got this funny look on her face and said it was a gift from you, and that's all she would say about it. Kihihihi."

This sudden laugh made Battler curious. Had Beato said more about the doll than she let on? "Maria," he said, "is that _all_ she said about the doll?"

Maria's reply was a laugh accompanied by a demonic look in her eyes and smile.


	13. Chapter 13

**Bold when not in author's notes = Red**

_Italics when not in thoughts or emphasis = Blue_

13

"How's your girlfriend, Bat-t-ler?" teased Lambdadelta as she, Bernkastel, and Erika sat facing opposite Virgilia and Battler in the meta-world. "Is she still having fits of pain, hmm?"

Battler's eyes were cast downward. These witches were depending entirely on his reaction. If he gave away so much as a batting eye of his feelings, they'd take his weakness and exploit it. Maintaining his composure, he calmly said, "I finally have two suspects."

Erika crossed one leg over the other. "Fire away," she said.

"I think that for now, my Aunt Eva is a good suspect," said Battler. "No one has been killed or had their life threatened thus far, why? _Because the culprit may not even be there yet. Maybe the culprit is at home right now planning what to do when they arrive at Rokkenjima. Right now, they could still be in the process of planning, which will only be complete on the day they arrive to Rokkenjima."_

"**Such a complex plan with so little time to plan wouldn't be planned in only a week,"** countered Erika. **"It would have to be planned months in advance, long before ever receiving an invitation to Rokkenjima. The hatred would still be there. The resentment towards the other family members would still be there. They would just need to wait until the right time before attacking."**

Not the least bit fazed, Battler went on: _"Eva's motive would for sure stem from a deep-seated resentment towards her siblings. _All her life, she has been treated as inferior to Krauss and has always been pressured to find a rich man to carry on the Ushiromiya name with. It would be inevitable that her hatred would eventually spill over. And let us take the third game into consideration—_she may or may not have been the sole culprit. If she was not the main culprit, she may have had accomplices to help her, which would explain why she couldn't have killed Rosa and Maria—because she was in her room suffering from a bad headache. Hideyoshi himself gave Eva her alibi, right? He was with her the entire time. He became an accomplice without even realizing it! Therefore, while Hideyoshi was sitting by Eva's side, her accomplice took their cue to kill Rosa and Maria outside. Eva later on got into a disagreement with the accomplice and killed them when they threatened to reveal everything. This was what drove her over the edge to kill off the rest of the people!"_

Erika let out a low whistle. "My, I _will_ have a hard time countering _that,"_ she said. "So tell me: Who was Eva's accomplice then, hmm?"

"Maybe Aunt Rosa," suggested Battler. _"Maybe after finding the gold, they agreed to split the gold up and kill the other family members to prevent them from ever finding it. Rosa strangled Maria when Maria revealed she had overheard them talking, then slipped and stabbed herself on the fence."_

"Having observed this game myself," said Bernkastel, "allow me to remind you of a few facts: **Six people had already been killed by the time the gold was found. They would've had to team up earlier than that. And don't forget—Rosa was killed by another person. Maria, too, was killed by another person.** Now that that's out of the way, tell us who your other suspect is."

"In a similar vein to Eva," said Battler, "someone on the island may not be committing the murders yet _because they are waiting for the others to arrive before taking action. Once everyone they need is here, then they will strike._ The most likely candidate right now is Dr. Nanjo. **He said in the third game he has a sick grandchild.** Just how sick would this grandchild of his have to be for him to be desperate enough to beg for his life to be spared? Would they be so sick that their illness was life-threatening? More importantly, would this illness require expensive medical treatment? If so, _then we have a motive for Dr. Nanjo. He may have decided to eliminate the 'competition' for who would be most likely to inherit the Ushiromiya fortune next so that he, being one of Kinzo's oldest friends, could inherit said fortune himself and therefore be able to pay for his grandchild's medical treatments."_

Erika uncrossed her legs. "Interesting, _very_ interesting," she murmured. "Is that all you have to say?"

"For the time being," shrugged Battler. "My list of suspects may grow as time goes on, but for now, Eva and Dr. Nanjo are at the top of my list."

"Your list will grow as your belief in your family's innocence wavers, you mean," said Bernkastel bluntly.

Keeping his cool, Battler nodded. "Yes," he said calmly. "Once I have found new reasons—good, solid reasons—to suspect the others, then my list will grow."

"You're getting there, kid," said Lambdadelta. "I'm impressed you haven't had a nervous breakdown yet."

"I've learned not to let your taunts get to me," said Battler nonchalantly. "Go ahead; make a wisecrack about my hair—I don't care."

"That's a good thing," muttered Lambdadelta. At this, Battler let out a laugh that startled the three witches across the room. It was a laugh full of confidence, bordering on arrogance. Erika was the first to speak up: "You still haven't proven Natsuhi's innocence for this game."

"Hey, I shouldn't eliminate her just because she was innocent in the fifth game, right?" shrugged Battler. "I'll just wait and see. If it turns out she has a stronger, hidden motive, then you can say "I told you so," laugh in my face, whatever you want. Until then, just sit there and twirl your cute little pigtails, okay?"

"Battler," said Virgilia warningly. She was being faintly reminded of Beato's growing arrogance. She wanted to keep Battler grounded before he stepped over the line.

"Oh Virgilia," spoke Lambdadelta, her voice dripping with honey, "How _is_ Beato doing?"

Detecting the hint of insincerity in Lambdadelta's tone, Virgilia said coolly, "She's doing perfectly fine, thank you very much."

"That's good to hear," said Lambdadelta. "I've heard about her parents. Too bad about what happened to them, eh? Especially what happened to poor Angela. No one deserves _that,_ don't you agree?"

Battler thought he saw Virgilia's eye twitch, but he brushed it off as just an illusion. Virgilia said, "Yes, it is awful. She and I were good friends. To lose her and Christopher in a short period of time...it just about tore me apart."

"Mm-hmm," said Lambdadelta, giving Bernkastel a knowing smile. "Well, at least she died peacefully; relatively peacefully, anyway."

Battler _knew_ he saw Virgilia clench her fists beneath her ruffled sleeves. Yet she managed to keep a calm, cool demeanour. She only said, "I thought we were here to discuss the preparations for the next game, not about the tragic histories of one's parents."

"Absolutely true," said Lambdadelta. "So we'll adjourn for now and meet back again tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Yes," said Virgilia. "We shall. Let's go, Battler. We've heard enough for one day."

The two disappeared in a burst of gold, giving Lambdadelta the relief to finally laugh. "Oh, I was _good,_ wasn't I?" she cackled.

"**Better than you are in bed, anyway,"** muttered Bernkastel.

Lambdadelta stopped laughing and glared at Bernkastel, who smirked and said, "Oh dear, did I just say that in red? My mistake."

"Bravo, Lady Lambdadelta," said Erika. "I'm glad to see you put my information to good use. I thought Virgilia was going to have a breakdown right then and there, but she managed to keep her cool."

"And that's the problem," said Lambdadelta. "She and Battler are both a little _too_ calm. That Battler especially is getting cocky; he's almost as bad as Beato when _she_ became the Endless Witch! We have to shake his confidence, somehow. We have to make him _really_ doubt the innocence of his family, drive him to the breaking point."

"If I am permitted to make a suggestion," said Bernkastel, "How about we show Battler his sin the next time he and Virgilia come over? Including the immediate consequences of his sin, and how he made poor, delicate Beato _suffer_ at the hands of someone whom she admired."

"Tempting, but Virgilia was sworn to secrecy, remember?" said Lambdadelta. "She would _never_ allow us to show such a personal part of Beato's life...unless we somehow got her out of here..."

"More taunting is in order," declared Erika. "We will need to drive her out and leave Battler all alone to his defences. We'll see how tough _he_ is without someone there to keep his cool..."

* * *

"Teacher tells me you were getting a little arrogant in the meta-world today," was Beato's greeting when Battler stopped by to visit her shortly after dinner. "Taking a page out of my book, are you?"

"Eh, I may have gotten a _little_ overconfident," admitted Battler as he sat down in the usual chair next to Beato's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, actually," said Beato. "Well, I still feel tired all the time, but my last 'episode' was about an hour after you and Maria left this morning. I don't know if I'm going to have another one, but Teacher says that if I don't, then that will be the last one." She let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness."

Battler, no longer shy about his hand meeting Beato's, gently held her hand in his. "I'm glad to hear you're feeling better," he said sincerely. "Do you think you might be up to a game of chess downstairs?"

"Do you think you might be looking forward to getting beaten?" said Beato, grinning.

"Of course I am!" said Battler confidently. "It might help if my pride is hurt a _little_ bit, right?"

"No, it would help immensely," muttered Beato. She could now sit up without the pillow's help, so she hoped she could get out of bed without anyone's help. She was able to succeed in swinging her legs around and getting them on the ground, but she stumbled a bit. Battler got out of his chair and helped Beato stand up. He placed her down in the chair and said, "How about I go get your bathrobe?"

"By all means," muttered Beato. "Go get that white one over there." While Battler walked over to the coat rack to get Beato's bathrobe, Beato sat and thought. She and Battler had grown close over the past few days. They only had idle conversation, yet she felt it had somehow brought them closer together. He had a way of making her laugh, of making her happy, and most of all, just making her appreciate the fact that she was brought back to life when he could've chosen to just let her go to either heaven or hell. She enjoyed the time she spent with him and felt a certain ache in her heart when he had to go. It was almost like...

No. She couldn't think about _that._ Not when everything was going _right_ for a change.

* * *

The two sat across from each other in the parlour, engrossed in a game of chess, which Beato was rapidly beating Battler at, to this dismay.

"I should've known better," laughed Battler as he made his move. "You are the true game master of chess, Beato."

"How could you ever doubt me, Battler?" said Beato with a smirk. She just about had him cornered. One more move and it would be checkmate...

Beato was struck with a sudden headache. She sighed and leaned forward with one hand to her head. She _knew_ what she had to do next, but all of a sudden, she felt too tired to concentrate. She felt sluggish and weak, longing to go back to bed, yet wanting to play just a little bit longer.

"Beato?" said Battler, concerned. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine," murmured Beato. "I...I'm just a little...tired, that's all."

It was only now that Battler noticed Virgilia standing nearby, with an approving smile on her face. She walked up to the two and said gently, "Now Beato, I understand perfectly why you would want to get out of bed for a little while, but you still need your rest. Come back up to bed. You can play with Battler another time."

"No, no, I'll be fine," muttered Beato, who looked as though she was about to fall asleep right in her chair.

"How about I take you to that couch right over there and we can just talk?" suggested Battler.

Beato nodded. Battler stood up and said to Virgilia, "I'm not doing anything wrong, am I?"

"Of course not," said Virgilia in the same, gentle tone. "Just be there to remind Beato she's still not as strong as she hopes to be just yet."

Battler walked over to Beato's chair and helped her stand up. "Oh, I'll be there to help Beato whenever she needs me. Whoa!" he said when Beato fell against him. "It's okay, I've got you."

He adjusted Beato in a position where she was leaning on him yet able to walk, rather than in an awkward position where she was about to topple him over. Virgilia couldn't help but lightly chuckle at this sight. If anyone had told either one of them at their first meeting that they would be where they are now, relying on one another for support, they would have laughed in that person's face.

"There you go," said Battler, helping Beato down on the couch in front of the fireplace. He spread her out and placed a quilt on top of her.

"Thank you, Battler-kun," said Beato, who was trying to stay awake for just a little bit longer, if only because she wanted to see Battler's face one more time.

"No problem," said Battler, sitting down on the footrest. "You looked like you were about to fall asleep back there. So, does this mean I win by forfeit?"

"Of course not," said Beato defiantly. "I was about to corner you, you know. One more move and I would've had you in the palm of my hands!" She would've laughed her usual inelegant, evil laugh if she had the energy to do so.

Battler looked up and smiled at Virgilia, who took her silent cue to leave the two of them alone. He looked back over to Beato and said, "Beato, I've been thinking...most of this time, I've been bluffing to stay one step ahead of Bernkastel. I have a few theories, but I don't know if any of them are good enough. I need your help—please give me another hint. And I mean a _large_ one, not a vague one."

Beato started to taunt him: "Now Battler, there would be no fun in—"

"Beato," said Battler, now looking and sounding quite serious, "I've been losing track of time, and I haven't even realized just how little time I have left until now. Today is the first day of October. The game begins in _three days._ I have until then to solve the mystery and defeat Bernkastel, and I _still_ don't know where to go. You seriously _have_ to help me or else you'll be pulled into this loop, too; you'll be stuck like this forever."

At this, Beato seemed to realize how serious the situation was. She closed her eyes, deep in concentration, thinking of what to say. Finally, she opened them and spoke: "The murderer is already on the island. They are waiting for the others to arrive before striking. That is all I am going to say. Take that as your clue to start suspecting those among you."

"Oh," said Battler. "So I guess I can eliminate Eva, Hideyoshi, and George."

"Exactly," nodded Beato. Then, "I'm beginning to feel a little bit better now. Let's play some cards."

* * *

Battler found himself getting so wrapped up in the various card games he and Beato played together over the past few hours, he completely lost track of time. He didn't even realize just how late it was until Virgilia came walking into the parlour, looking completely surprised to see him.

"Battler, you're still here?" said Virgilia. "It's ten-thirty."

"What?!" exclaimed Battler as he stood up. He looked up at the clock on the wall. Sure enough, the hands were pointing to approximately ten-thirty, and the sky outside had darkened.

"Time flies when you're having fun," said Beato as she yawned. She could barely keep her eyes open. "Night, Battler."

"I'll take her to bed from here," said Virgilia, helping Beato up. "You go home, Battler. Your family must be worried sick."

"That's sure alright," muttered Battler. "I'll put the cards away, first." After Virgilia left while supporting Beato, Battler picked up the cards on the couch and the floor and put them away neatly in a little box. He thought about the time he spent with Beato. He really was getting to enjoy it more and more. He was especially glad to see her in such high spirits, close to being her old self again. It had pained him to see her in so much suffering.

Part of Battler thought about somehow getting Virgilia or Ronove to revoke his powers when the game was over and Bernkastel was defeated. Then he could go back to leading a normal life. Having powers was nice, but he did not want to be a sorcerer forever. He wanted to just be a normal teenager with typical problems like choosing universities or asking out a girl to the school dance. He supposed he _could_ lead a relatively normal life if he continued to be a sorcerer and just chose not to use his powers, but he knew deep down he truly wouldn't feel all right with it.

And if he _did _choose to have someone revoke his powers...what would the process be like? He knew for sure it would be painful, judging by Beato's experience. He remembered her face from when he had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing an 'episode'. She did not look as though she merely felt a slight twinge in her elbow or anything like that; no, she looked as though she were in genuine agony. Was it worth it? Would enduring that sort of pain really be worth reverting back to a mortal, just for the sake of not leading an abnormal life? Even then, how would he explain his condition to his parents? Puberty gone horribly wrong?

Battler had just put away the set of cards on the nearby bookshelf when he realized something: '_I haven't said goodbye to her yet. Maybe I should go upstairs right now and just quickly tell her goodbye before leaving. It's just an extra minute out of my way.'_

Battler worked out his excuse for coming home late as he made his way down the usual route to Beato's room, '_I could tell them I wanted to explore the island and I got lost. That would be the most believable. But how believable would it be? Probably more believable than my being there the whole time and just getting lost in the mansion. Geez, I can't believe I lost track of the time like that. I hope Ange's okay. I hope my parents didn't miss me. If I'm lucky, maybe their worrying will bring them back together.'_

He soon found himself at Beato's door. He gently pushed the door open and walked in silently. Beato appeared to have already fallen asleep with the doll in her arms. He smiled at the sight. From one perspective, she looked like a little girl worn out from a long, hard day. From another, with her bathed in the moonlight, she looked like a sleeping angel, pure and incorruptible.

Battler rubbed his eyes. He, too, felt tired. He wondered if he would even have the energy to make his way home. He looked over at the empty spot in her bed. _Lying down to rest for just one minute wouldn't hurt,_ he reasoned, and so he walked up to the vacant spot on the bed and lay down next to Beato. He rolled over and smiled at her sleeping figure, her back facing him.

_She looks kind of like a life-sized doll herself,_ thought Battler. _I wonder if...nah, get those thoughts out of your head, you pervert! But it's just a hug...just for a minute..._

Battler wrapped his arms around Beato's waist and snuggled up next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. He closed his eyes thinking, _I'll go home real soon. Just one more minute with her...one...more...min...ute..._

* * *

The Seven Stakes stood just outside the room, giggling at the sight of a sleeping Battler cuddling up next to Beato. "They're _so_ adorable!" squealed Asmodeus. "Don't they make _such_ a cute couple?"

"I'm so jealous," whimpered Leviathan.

"You're _always_ jealous," said Belphegor, rolling her eyes.

Lucifer let out a throaty chuckle. "Dear sisters," she said, "I just got a _very_ naughty idea on what we could do to Battler..."

"What?" said Mammon suspiciously. "Are we going to strip him naked?"

"Not quite, Mammon," said Lucifer, smiling. "Not quite. All we have to do is just remove his jacket and his shirt and then he should be a bit more...comfy."

The seven girls giggled softly and sneaked quietly into the room. They each took a turn removing Battler's jacket, then his tie, then his vest, and finally his red shirt, all of which fell to one side of the bed with a soft plummet.

The girls smiled at each other and giggled right before Lucifer ordered Beelzebub to help Asmodeus with her nosebleed. The prank was set in place. All they had to do now was wait for the hilarious reactions to this sensual scenario in the morning.


	14. Chapter 14

_This chapter only: Italics when not in thoughts or emphasis = "Engrish"_

14

'_Jessica's setting me up, isn't she?'_ thought Battler as his thoughts slowly regained consciousness the next morning. _She placed a life-sized doll in my arms while I was sleeping so she could humiliate me and call me a pervert in front of Maria and Ange...well, I'm not going to give her that pleasure. No, I think I'll just lie here with my eyes closed for a few more minutes until I'm certain she's gone...this doll sure does feel like an actual human, though. And her hair smells so good...if Beato were here she'd never let me hear the end of—_

_Hold on._

Battler's eyes shot wide open. He saw the back of Beato's head, looked down and saw that not only did he have his arms wrapped around her waist, he was also shirtless.

'_Damn it!'_ thought Battler, his face reddening. '_I fell asleep last night! Oh man, if anyone comes in here NOW and sees us like this, they'll think...hey wait, when did I take my shirt off?'_

Battler was startled by the sound of footsteps. He untangled his arms and shot out of bed, looking around frantically for his shirt. He couldn't see anything on the floor from his side, so he climbed over to see something on Beato's side, but lost his footing and fell down on top of her. And just because Lady Luck had chosen that day to take a vacation in Hawaii, it was this action that caused Beato to wake up. And of course, the first thing she saw was Battler on top of her. She gasped, "Battler?!?"

Their heads turned sharply at the sound of the door opening. Neither had a chance to get untangled from this position when Virgilia came in. However, she did not see a confused Battler who was the victim of a prank. She saw a shirtless Battler lying on top of Beato, who was still in her nightgown, in a position that made it look like he was pinning her to the bed. It would've only been natural for anyone to come to the conclusion Virgilia had reached when she let out a roar of anger and went charging at Battler, roundhouse kicking him off the bed and onto the floor

"Wait!" said Battler quickly, struggling to sit up. "I can explain!"

"_Explain?!?"_ burst out Virgilia angrily. "You have exactly ten seconds to _explain_ what you were doing in bed with her!"

Battler felt around for his shirt. "It's not what you think," he said calmly. "I came up here last night to say goodbye and—"

"And you ended up _sleeping_ next to her," growled Virgilia, getting closer and closer to where Battler was until she almost had him cornered.

"I _swear_ I didn't do _anything_ to her, honest!" said Battler quickly. By now, he had managed to find his shirt and tie and was feeling around for his vest and jacket. "She was asleep, so I couldn't...uh...well I didn't have the _chance,_ so...oh crap," he said when he realized he was just making it sound worse. "Well, uh...look, I'm very, very sorry, and..."

"You have _five seconds_ to get out of here before I show you just how _truly_ powerful I am," said Virgilia coldly, pointing a finger at the door.

"Teacher," Beato tried to say, but before she could speak on Battler's behalf, Battler had already jumped up to his feet and ran out of there as fast as he could. He had made it halfway down the stairs when he felt something soft pelting him. He spun around and saw that Asmodeus and Satan had thrown him his vest and jacket. Satan was cackling, "You'd better _run,_ Battler!"

Battler rolled his eyes and ran the rest of the way, putting on each item as he ran out the doors, through the garden, and beyond the gate and into the forest, away from Kuwadorian as fast as he could go.

'_I'll be lucky if Virgilia or Beato ever speak to me again,'_ thought Battler, having never felt so humiliated since the last time he had surrendered to Beato. '_God, if my parents ever found out about this, they'd...my parents! Oh shit! I have to get home before they realize I'm gone!'_

"Battler!"

Battler stopped at the sound of his name being called. He leaned against a nearby tree and panted to catch his breath. He double-checked to see if he had everything on---his shirt, his tie, his vest, and his jacket—yes, he had everything on. Good.

He sighed and decided to just stay where he was, on the off chance that was Virgilia or Ronove calling out for him.

"Battler!"

Several more voices were calling out his name now. He realized with a sudden start that was his _family_ calling after him. He called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Footsteps.

He leaned off the tree and waited. Within seconds, his parents and his sister were standing right in front of him, crying out, "Battler!" They ran up to him and gave him a good, tight hug.

They separated and Rudolf said sternly, "Where were you, young man? Kyrie and I assumed you had just gone to the guest house without saying goodnight, but Ange told us this morning you never showed up."

"Onii-chan," said Ange, sticking out her bottom lip, "I waited for you for _hours_ until Maria made me go to sleep. Where were you?"

Remembering how Ange, the one who had been torn apart and reminded Battler of someone waiting for him at home, Battler felt a pang of regret. "Ange," he said softly, "I'm sorry."

"We've been searching for an hour," said Kyrie. "We found you _just_ now. Where have you been all this time?"

Battler looked around the three standing before him. For a brief moment, he contemplated telling them the truth, but then realized there was absolutely no way to put a spin on the following phrase to make it sound innocent: _"I spent the night with a girl and slept next to her in bed."_ No, his only choice was to lie.

"Yeah, about that," laughed Battler nervously, "I went out exploring Rokkenjima for a little bit last night and I got lost. And when I tried finding my way back, I got lost even more, so I decided to just stay put until someone came to get me, and so I fell asleep in the forest."

He held his breath, waiting for a sign that his story had been believed. He hoped none of them would question it. Finally, Kyrie said, "I understand your wanting to get familiar with a place you've been away from for so long. But from now on, ask someone to come with you, okay?"

Battler realized only then that Kyrie and Rudolf were standing closer together. His disappearance appeared to have somehow brought the two closer together after their estrangement over the past few days. Glad to see things were back to normal for his family, Battler said, "I promise."

* * *

Lambdadelta and Bernkastel couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was just about lunchtime in Battler's world, and here Battler was sitting in a chair, looking in the opposite direction of Virgilia, who gave him a cold, hard stare. Erika was the first to break the ice, "Want to talk about it?"

Virgilia seemed to loosen up ever so slightly then, "No thank you. I am informed that what happened this morning was just a huge misunderstanding."

"And what _did_ happen this morning?" asked Erika.

Battler now turned to look over at Virgilia, who gave him a look that warned him not to attempt something like this again. "Like Virgilia said," he said, "it was just a misunderstanding."

"I see," nodded Erika. "Let us get started then."

Battler sat up straight. "I have confirmed one fact," he said. _**"The murderer is definitely on the island.**_"

"So then, if it isn't Eva, could it still be Dr. Nanjo?" said Erika.

"Maybe," said Battler. "But it could still be someone within my family. I cannot just pick and choose because of bias. For now, I suspect..."

His mind was running. He blurted out the first name that came to mind, "Ushiromiya Krauss."

"Right, the whole thing about him embezzling money and swarming in debt," yawned Lambdadelta. "Haven't we gone over this already?"

"And that is exactly why he is suspected," said Battler, hoping they would not see through his bluff.

"Mm-hmm," said Erika, looking bored already. "Can't come up with anything else?"

Battler shrugged. "Well, Krauss _is_ my primary suspect right now."

"What? Dr. Nanjo's innocent all of a sudden?" said Lambdadelta.

"No, we can't exonerate _everyone_ just yet," said Battler calmly. "We need to keep our minds open to _all_ possibilities. Krauss being the culprit is one possibility. Dr. Nanjo being the culprit is another possibility. Hell, even Maria being the culprit is a possibility."

'_They don't seem to suspect that I'm bluffing, _thought Battler,' looking Bernkastel straight in the eye. '_All I've got to do is keep BS-ing my way through this and I'll be fine.'_

"Bernkastel," said Battler coolly, not even bothering to addressing her with 'Lady', "You've been silent for the first few minutes of this round. Do you really have nothing to say? Or are you just stunned by my great move?"

"If you consider bluffing your great move, then yes, I am genuinely stunned by your brilliance," said Bernkastel in a completely deadpan tone.

"Now, Lady Bernkastel," said Virgilia, "you have to admit, Battler is doing _much_ better than he did at the game's start. **He is no longer incompetent."**

"You don't _have_ to say _everything_ in red," muttered Lambdadelta. Bernkastel ignored this: "You are correct: **He is now competent.** But I have to wonder, are _you_ competent?"

Virgilia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" she said.

"What I mean," said Bernkastel, smiling, "is whether or not you are truly capable of resorting to tactics other than lying."

"Lying?" said Virgilia, smiling tightly. "What do you mean by 'lying'?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean," said Bernkastel nonchalantly. "You want Beato to always view you as someone whom she can trust. But _can_ she trust you? Can she _really?"_

"Of course she can," said Virgilia calmly. "Ronove and I have carried out her parents' duty and took on the full task of raising her with the help of various hired help around the house."

"I have to admit, that _is_ admirable of you," said Bernkastel. "Even Angela would've been proud, don't you think? Or what about Christopher? Would either one of them have been proud to see what you have done to their baby girl? Would they be happy to hear what you've been telling her about them? Or would they hate you if they knew? Wouldn't they want you to tell the truth for a change? So why don't you be honest—tell Beato what really happened, tell _us_ what really happened."

Battler wasn't quite sure what Bernkastel was talking about, but he could see it was about something that made Virgilia _very_ angry. Her eyes came very close to bulging, and she was clenching her fists tightly. Then, she turned to Battler and said sharply, "We are leaving."

"Virgilia," Battler started to say, but Virgilia snapped, _"Now."_

"Lady Virgilia," said Bernkastel, "if you are feeling uncomfortable with my words, you may leave. However, Battler has some work left to be done. He still has some explaining to do. I'm sure he would do just fine without you for now."

Battler wasn't sure how true those words were, but he smiled at Virgilia. "It's okay Virgilia," he said. "I can take her on by myself. I'll be fine. You can come back when you're ready. I'll wait."

Virgilia seemed to have calmed down just a bit. She turned back to Bernkastel. "Do you promise not to tell him?" she said quietly.

"You have my word," said Bernkastel. "And if I break that word, you have my full permission to punish me however you please."

Without a word, Virgilia left in a burst of gold. It was only then that Battler felt his stomach tangle up into knots. With Virgilia by his side, he had a slight surge of confidence. Now, with her gone, he wasn't sure how he would do without her there to keep him calm, or keep him level headed.

Battler cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, "As I was saying..."

"Actually," said Bernkastel, standing up, "There is something related to the game itself that I would like to speak to you about. **You were asked if you knew your sin in the fourth game.** **It is because of your sin that people die.** Now that you've had time to think, tell us—do you know what your sin is?"

Nothing was coming to mind. Battler decided it was best to speak honestly, "No. I do not."

Bernkastel looked over at Lambdadelta and Erika with an inexpressible face before turning back to Battler. "I see," she said. "So it looks as though I'll have to show you."

"Show me?" said Battler, wondering what Bernkastel had up her sleeve now.

"Yes," nodded Bernkastel. "Come over here, and take my hand. I will take you back six years ago...back to the time of your sin. I will show you how it began, what it was, and its ultimate consequences."

Battler stood up. He did not know why, but he found his feet moving across the room and over to Bernkastel. Part of his brain was screaming, '_Don't do it! It's a trap! It's another mind game to throw you off!'_ And yet the other part was curious to know of his sin—he _needed_ to know of his sin.

Battler stopped when he reached Bernkastel, who had now stood up herself. He closed his eyes and took his hand in hers...

* * *

Battler opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Bernkastel, who said, "Well, Battler? Does any of this look at all familiar to you?"

Battler took a good look at his surroundings. They were no longer in the meta-world; that was for certain. They were in a hall just adjacent to a staircase...a winding staircase that looked almost like something out of a fairy tale...

"We're in Kuwadorian," said Battler out loud.

"Correct," said Bernkastel. "This is Kuwadorian six years ago. It is early spring, just a few days or so before your family arrives for their big reunion."

"Then what are we doing _here?"_ asked Battler. As though to answer his question, there was a knock on the door, startling him. He looked around for a place to hide as he heard the sound of footsteps, but Bernkastel said, "Do not worry. We cannot be seen or heard by the others. We are but ghosts of the future looking down on ghosts of the past."

This relieved Battler a little bit. The owner of the footsteps turned out to be Virgilia. She opened up the front doors and there stood a younger Kinzo with a younger Shannon, who looked as shy as in the present, wearing a simple white dress with matching stockings and shoes, very different from her attire as a maid. She looked as though she had been dressed in play clothes fitting for a five-year-old, yet it was very clear she was not a child. As they began to have their standard greetings, Battler said, "What is this? Why is Kinzo here with Shannon? And why is she dressed differently?"

"Just watch, and you will see," was Bernkastel's mysterious reply.

Just then, there was the pounding of footsteps coming from the staircase. Battler turned around to see a girl with blonde hair falling ever so slightly past her shoulders with blue eyes, wearing a black vest over a white blouse and a black dress that went down to her knees, with black stockings and black shoes. Despite her wear being somewhat fitting for school, her bouncy attitude contrasted it very strongly. It took Battler a few seconds to realize it was Beato—she looked different, yet acted the same

"Is Shannon here?" cried out Beato. She gasped when she saw the pair standing in the doorway. "Shannon!" she cried out, "Grandfather!"

Battler frowned. _What_ did she just call Kinzo? As the three of them had their brief, happy reunion, Bernkastel answered Battler's mental question, "There are three Beatrice's that existed—and I do not mean the title. The title itself is at least a thousand years old. No, I mean the three Beatrice's you know about—the first Beatrice gave Kinzo the gold. She was the one he fell in love with but could not marry. The second Beatrice was the one whom Kinzo imprisoned in these walls, hoping he could use her to replace his first Beatrice, but died during her walk with Rosa, as you may have seen in Rosa's flashback. And the third Beatrice is the one you know—the one who was born and raised here."

"Wait," said Battler, raising a finger, "So let me get this straight—Kinzo had a _lover_ named Beatrice, then he replaced her with a woman whom he _thought_ was his beloved, and _then_ he adopted _another_ Beatrice—this one?"

"That is correct," said Bernkastel. "As I said, the title itself is a thousand years old, but the Beatrice you know isn't that much older than you. The two of you are around the same age."

"Huh," said Battler. "I should've known better—Beato was just tricking me when she showed me Rosa's tale of how she 'died' and turned into a golden butterfly. But I guess Beato was being just a _little_ inflated and wanted to feel important."

"Exactly," said Bernkastel. "That was all just part of her attempts to trick you and make you question reality. However, she was indeed training to be a witch by Virgilia—who herself was Beatrice back then."

"So my assessment wasn't far off," mused Battler. "Witches _do_ exist, but they are not the cause of the murders. They are both existent _and_ non-existent. It is just like the cat in the box. And in this instance, the cat is both alive _and_ dead." A sudden thought struck him—one that disgusted him greatly. "Wait a minute, are you telling me Kinzo adopted _this_ Beatrice for the purpose of grooming her to _replace_ the Beatrice who died? Then...that would mean...he's waiting to..."

"My, you _do_ catch on quickly," said an amused Bernkastel. "You must understand that his sanity had already begun to crumble after the second Beatrice's death. This was just the tip of the iceberg."

Battler felt his stomach turn and observed the rest of the scene. There was nothing suspicious about Kinzo and Beato at the moment; he was smiling at her and telling her to play nicely with Shannon before leaving. Still, the mere thought that his grandfather was waiting to have sex with a little girl until she reached the legal age, and was raising her for that purpose, was downright stomach-rotting. He supposed it was better than doing it with her while she was young...but still, the mere _idea..._the age of consent was thirteen, but here she was around the age of twelve, so he was waiting just one more year and then...

Battler shivered and muttered, "You old geezer...you old _pervert..._at least I was just _joking_ with Maria..."

The young Beato, not aware of Battler and Bernkastel's presence, said, "Come upstairs Sayo. I'll ask Ronove to make us some tea!"

Before Battler was aware of what was happening, he felt a sharp turn and saw a mixture of colours; the next thing he knew, he was upstairs in Beato's room, where young Beato was sitting on the bed having tea with young Shannon.

"Hey, what happened?!?" he cried out.

"Waiting for tea to brew is like waiting for an ice cube to melt," was Bernkastel's reply. "I did not think you would be interested in idle chatter for an hour, so I skipped right ahead to the main event. This was the starting event of the tragedy. Just listen to their conversation, and you will begin to realize."

Battler stood just near the window, watching the two girls nonchalantly. Beato as a twelve-year-old or thereabouts was very bright and happy. She laughed and conversed with Shannon, sounding slightly arrogant, but was overall good-natured and goodhearted.

"So, Sayo," said Beato, taking her cup of tea off her nightstand, "what's going on over at your place?"

"Oh, nothing too special," sighed Shannon, stirring some sugar in her tea. "The master is just barking at us to get prepared for the upcoming family reunion."

"What's a family reunion?" asked Beato. Her innocence made her even more cute than usual.

"It's basically this event where everyone belonging to the same family gathers under one roof to talk about how their lives have been since they last met," said Shannon. Her tone was shrugging it off as though it were no big deal, but the look in Beato's eyes made it clear _she_ thought it sounded like the most exciting thing in the world.

"Would Ronove, Teacher, and I be...a family?" asked Beato.

"I guess so," said Shannon slowly. "You all live under the same roof, and you're there to look out for each other. I'm sorry; I can't really answer for myself. My family died when I was very young. Well, not all of them. I had an aunt, but...she had her own problems. She drank a lot. She couldn't take care of me, so she put me in an orphanage—that's where you go when you don't have any parents."

"I know," said Beato. "I've read about them in books—were you forced to eat disgusting porridge every morning? Did you ever ask for more and then get punished for asking?"

Beato's childish, naive attitude ceased to amuse Battler when he realized with an aching feeling that Beato was asking all these questions a twelve-year-old should already know the answer to because she knew nothing of the world beyond Kuwadorian. She had been sheltered in this one place all her life, never seeing the outside world. She never had a normal childhood. Her 'childhood' consisted of being kept away from the Ushiromiya household to avoid shaming the family and fuelling Kinzo's wife's suspicions. She never got to go to school, or amusement parks, or do all the things someone her age was supposed to do. Instead, she was kept locked up in a golden cage like a bird, a most beautiful bird whose master vowed to never set it free, lest it fly away.

"No," said Shannon. "The master took my brother and me in just a couple years ago. It was really nice of him since we were orphans and all." She looked down at the golden covers. "Even if we are just furniture," she said softly.

"Sayo," said Beato firmly, reaching over and touching Shannon by the hand, "What have I told you? You are not furniture. You look like a real person to me."

At this, Shannon smiled, and Battler smiled, too. This was clearly before the days Beato began viewing herself as superior to anyone; that was for certain. He wondered if it just came with being the Endless Witch. He himself was getting to be a little arrogant, but he knew he was no better than the people he talked with everyday.

"So what are family reunions like?" asked Beato, taking a sip of her tea.

"Well, everyone just gets together and talks," said Shannon. "Otherwise, they do fun things together, like going down to the beach."

"What's a beach?" asked Beato.

"Oh, it's this sandbar near the ocean, where you get to go swimming in the ocean," said Shannon. "I've never gone swimming myself, so I can't say what it is like."

"Don't you ever get to talk with the family?" asked Beato. "Aren't _you_ family?"

"I would _never_ do such a thing!" said Shannon hastily; looking as though she were afraid someone was listening. "The servants and I are only furniture. No one really pays attention to us, and it isn't polite for us to pay any attention to them."

"Hmm," said Beato thoughtfully, placing her cup down on the tray on the bed. "No one pays any attention to you, huh... Sayo, have you ever read the story of the Prince and the Pauper?"

"I vaguely remember it," said Shannon. "That was the one where the poor boy switched places with the prince for a day so they could see what each other's life is like. And in the end, they realized their own individual life was best."

"True," nodded Beato. "But still, to get a taste of the other side, to see what life is like on the other side..._that_ would be something _truly_ special, don't you think?"

Beato raised an eyebrow at Shannon knowingly. Shannon gasped, "Maria, you'd better not be thinking what I _think_ you are thinking!"

"Oh, but I am," said Beato, smiling. "I'm still experimenting with my magic, and I've never used shape shifting before. I think that on the day of this reunion, you should sneak over to Kuwadorian and we will switch places—I will be you, and you will be me. Then I can see what these family reunions are truly like and no one will pay any attention to me."

"I don't think you should, Maria," said Shannon warningly. "It's very risky—what would happen if you got caught?"

"I won't get caught, because I'll make sure not to be around when Grandfather is present," replied Beato. "And _you_ won't get caught, either, because you will simply tell Teacher that you don't feel well on the days we're supposed to have magic lessons."

Shannon tugged at the collar of her blouse. "I still think it's kind of risky," she said nervously.

"Well, _I_ think the risk is worth it," said Beato, leaning forward on the bed. "Don't you realize? I've never been outside the gates of Kuwadorian in my life _ever._ Do you know what I would give just to have a taste of the outside world? Even for just one day? Please, Sayo, do this for _me,_ just this once, and I will never ask anything of you ever again."

Battler took a walk around the bed to see Beato's face. The look in her eyes was so endearing that if she had been asking for a puppy in that moment, he would've gladly given one to her. Shannon seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as she sighed, "All right. I'll do it, but _just_ this once."

Beato hugged Shannon with such force she nearly knocked her off the bed. "Thank you, Shannon!" she breathed. "I'll _never_ forget this!" She let go and said, "So when's the family reunion, and how long is it for?"

"Tomorrow at noon," replied Shannon. "And it's going to last for five days or so."

"Then here's what we'll do," said Beato, already rallied up in her excitement. "Tomorrow, you'll come by early in the morning and I'll shape shift us into each other's forms. Then for the next few days, we will live each other's lives—I will see the family reunion, and you will stay here."

"Will it work?" said Shannon worriedly. "How experienced are you at shape shifting?"

At this, Beato's confidence diminished ever so slightly. "Not very," she admitted. "In fact, it would be my first time...but I'm sure I'll get it right."

And with that, the two girls went back to drinking their tea, hiding their excitement. "Sad, isn't it?" said Bernkastel, who was now standing next to Battler. "Such a sweet, innocent girl, so bright-eyed and naive to the ways of the world... Not even once predicting the tragedy and heartache in store for her. It's like reading _Romeo and Juliet_ and getting to the balcony scene, where the two young lovers discuss the joys of being in love, the reader being the only one knowing what fate has in store for them."

Battler struggled to remember. "That family reunion...no, more like a _conference..._wait, this was _six years ago?_ And this was in early spring, so—oh my—that was the year _I _came along! And..."

"And we shall carry on," declared Bernkastel. She shifted time again, giving Battler the same, nauseous feeling before coming to a stop. This time, they were in the Ushiromiya mansion, or more specifically, in the guest house chatting. Many of the family members had already been gathered—from Eva and Hideyoshi and George, to Rosa and a very small Maria, to the already-living on the island Natsuhi and Krauss and Jessica. They were all chatting about various matters of their lives, getting caught up in events of the past year. In the background stood Kanon and... no, it wasn't Shannon; it was Beato _as_ Shannon. She had done a decent job of morphing her hair colour and eye colour, but her 'figure' remained the same. Yet with those clothes she had on, the difference was hardly noticeable.

"So that's Beato, huh," said Battler. "Yes, I remember now—my parents and I were late arriving because our flight had been delayed, so we ended up having to find another boat by the time we got there."

"Yes, you were fashionably late," nodded Bernkastel. "As you may have noticed, the shape shifting plan has thus far succeeded and no one notices anything out of the ordinary with Shannon. You should be arriving at any minute now, assuming my calculations were correct."

In the background, Beato stood fidgeting with her hands. She looked as though she _wanted_ to go up to the family and make small talk, but was afraid that someone would see through her cover if she did. She looked like she was thinking, "What have I done? What have I gotten myself into? It's too late to turn back now—this was a bad idea. This was a big mistake."

"Ah," said Bernkastel, taking a look outside the windows. "Here you are now."

Within a minute, Rudolf and his former wife, Asumu, came into view. "Rudolf, you old bastard!" laughed Krauss. "It's about _time_ you showed up!"

"We're very sorry," apologized Rudolf. "Our flight was delayed, so we ended up having to find a different boat. What's important is that we are here now." He turned his head and called out, "Battler! Come on in!"

"Battler?" muttered Beato with a smirk on her face. She looked as though she just _had_ to meet this boy named 'Battler', doubting such a name could truly exist. In through the door came a shorter, younger Battler, who looked very much amazed by the place.

"Dad, you should check this place out!" said young Battler. "The rose garden is _huge_ and stretches on and on and..."

He stopped talking when he laid eyes on Beato. Beato, in return, appeared to be a bit flustered.

"That's right, I remember now," said Battler, stroking his chin. "Shannon was the first person I saw when I came in. I had a bit of a crush on her; I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever..." His voice faltered as the events unfolded in front of his eyes. Beato blushed and stammered, "Hello, Ushiromiya Battler. I am Shannon, the maid. How may I be of service to you?"

Battler could hear those words echo in his ears...and then a memory flashed before his eyes. He hoped that memory would not play itself out _now,_ but alas, it did: The young Battler gasped and threw himself at Shannon's knees. _"Good day to you,_ fair lady," he said in his most elegant voice. "I believe I'm the one who should be serving you."

"Oh no," moaned Battler, putting his face in his hands. "Don't tell me that was really—oh no—no—_no—_gah, and I thought it was embarrassing enough to say it to _Shannon,_ but—that was _Beato? _I said those things to—gah!"

"I can tell you're not in the mood to see the rest of this," said Bernkastel, smiling at the sight of young Battler getting up to his feet and blowing a kiss at Beato before moving on with his laughing parents to the center of the guest house. "So I shall move on and show you the more interesting bits."

"No more embarrassing memories, please," moaned Battler, getting that same, nauseous feeling of the scenery changing. He looked up and this time, they were all at the beach, where Beato was dashing across the sand, the cousins laughing and chasing after her, calling out, "Shannon, wait up!"

Beato ran straight into the water and right into the path of an oncoming wave which knocked her down onto the sand. She coughed and spluttered, not quite used to the ocean.

"Shannon, are you okay?" said Jessica, rushing up to her with the other cousins.

"The water is _salty!"_ exclaimed Beato, shaking her head to get the water out.

"It's supposed to be salty," said the young Battler, helping Beato back up on her feet. "That's the ocean for you, my fair maiden."

Beato giggled at the same time Battler's face turned beet red with humiliation. "Beato must think I'm such an _idiot._ I'll _never_ be able to face her again after this."

"Oh, she didn't think you were an idiot at all," said Bernkastel, observing the young couple taking a walk on the beach. "She thought you were very sweet and charming."

Battler cried out with a sudden jerk. "Here we are just a few minutes ahead in time," said Bernkastel.

"If it was just a few minutes, why did you bother?" asked Battler, his stomach still recovering.

"I didn't think you would want to hear idle chatter," shrugged Bernkastel.

"Give me that over your time-jerking any day," said Battler weakly. "So what's supposed to be happening _here?"_

Bernkastel pointed to the young Battler and Beato, who were sitting down in the sand, looking as though they were having a most interesting conversation together. Beato was saying, "Roller coasters sound amazing!"

"They're not," winced young Battler. "They _really_ aren't. But some people like them."

"Do you think _I_ would like them?" asked Beato, her eyes wide.

Young Battler smiled and said, "I think you would find them _perfecto._"

"Shut up," muttered Battler. "Shut up you idiot before you say..."

"A fair maiden such as yourself would only deserve the best," said young Battler with a swagger. "After all..." He then began singing loudly and off-key, _"I am your Prince Char-miiiiiinnnng come to rescue you from your cold, dark tow-weerrr!"_

"Gaaaah!" cried out Battler, ready to die of embarrassment. "Make it stop, make it stop! _Please _tell me Beato doesn't remember _any_ of that!"

"Oh, she remembers all right," said Bernkastel, still smiling. "She remembers your various attempts to woo her. Now Battler, look at her face."

Battler somehow brought himself to look into the laughing, smiling eyes of Beato. She did not appear to think his behaviour was idiotic at all. She seemed to have been genuinely charmed by his words. "She was only being nice," muttered Battler. "She was just sparing my feelings. Aah!" he cried when he felt the same, familiar jerk. Now they were in the guest house, and there was some sort of party going on. "You really need to stop doing that without warning," muttered Battler.

"I have to do this," said Bernkastel. "I have to show you just how much she truly believed in you."

"Wait, oh no," groaned Battler. "I remember this now. This is that night we all got together and then...I..._oh no..."_

Young Battler was off playing a game of chess with Beato in a corner of the room with a little chess board. "That's right," sighed Battler. "I was the one who taught her to play chess. Irony sucks."

"Checkmate!" laughed Beato triumphantly, "For the tenth time! My, this_ is_ a lot of fun! You're okay with my winning, right Battler?"

"_Ye-es, I'm fine,"_ replied young Battler, "Because you are the most beautiful girl in the entire universe."

Battler was just about ready to bury his face in his hands when Bernkastel spoke, "Battler, instead of hiding away from your mistakes this time, why don't you open your eyes and watch Beato's face as you talk to her?"

Battler lifted up his face and forced himself to watch the rest of the scene play out. His memory was coming back, bit by bit. He remembered what was supposed to happen next, and it did: Young Battler said, "I have a song for you. It's from my dad's collection of Western records, and there is this one song that makes me think of you." He stood up and bellowed in English and off-key: _"It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside. I'm not one of those who can easily hide..."_

"Elton John," muttered Battler as his younger self sang on, "Of course. Well, it could've been worse—I could've stumbled across my dad's collection of Elvis records. I don't think my uncle Krauss could ever look at my dad in the same way for the rest of the reunion." But he took Bernkastel's advice—instead of hiding away, instead of not confronting his embarrassing past, he looked into Beato's eyes. She was standing up, enchanted by Battler's lyrics. She did not look as though she was hiding a feeling of contempt...she was truly under his spell. She believed in what he said.

"_...and you can tell everybody this is your song,"_ sang young Battler. _"It may be quite simple but now that it's done, I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words...how wonderful life is while you're in the world."_

At this, Beato smiled and blushed. "Battler-kun," she whispered.

"Wow," said Battler, ignoring the rest of his younger self singing on while the rest of his relatives laughed at the sight, "Beato really did trust me, didn't she. She believed in me."

"She was young and trusting and naive," said Bernkastel. "She knew nothing about the ways of the world until you came along and taught her about this feeling...a feeling that is both painful yet absolutely delightful. And now, if you don't mind, I will now take you to the last time you spoke with Beato as Maria."

Feeling somewhat more grateful that he had been given a warning, Battler did not mind the sudden jerk and the spinning set, which now became the docks. It was now time for young Battler and his family to leave with the rest of the clan. As everyone said their goodbyes, he noticed Beato smiling sadly at young Battler.

"I wish you didn't have to go," said Beato sincerely. "I enjoyed spending my time with you. I hope we meet each other again. Well... Goodbye."

And that was when it all clicked—at the exact same time Battler realized what he had said, young Battler kissed Beato's fingers and said, "I'll be back. _See you again._ I'll come to greet you riding on a white horse."

Battler realized with a sinking feeling as his younger self took off and Beato's smile grew, '_She believed me. She truly believed me. I was just saying stupid stuff that meant nothing, but she really and truly believed I meant what I had said. How could I have been so STUPID? Why didn't I realize from the way she talked that she didn't know any better, that she was just a naive child? Stupid, stupid, STUPID!'_

"Do you realize now?" said Bernkastel. "Do you realize your sin?"

Battler watched Beato, who continued to watch the boat sail off into the sunset before turning around and skipping up the path leading up to the Ushiromiya mansion. "Yes," he said. "I realize...I said something stupid without meaning to and she took it seriously. A few weeks later...after our reunion...that was when Asumu, whom we all thought was getting better, had to go back to the hospital. And..."

"And then she died, and your father remarried, and you got angry at him and left home," finished Bernkastel. "You promised to come back for her and you never did. You never arrived at another family reunion because of your anger towards your father. And when you finally returned six years later, you had forgotten all about her. And you claimed she did not exist."

"I...I didn't know," said Battler softly, staring out at the ocean. "I never realized who she really was...I was saying all that stupid stuff because...well...I had a bit of a crush on her, and everyone says stupid things when they have a crush on someone, right? It never occurred to me that _someone_ would actually _listen."_

"Battler," said Bernkastel, "I know this will be painful for you, but...I need to show you the consequences of what you had done."

"Consequences?" asked Battler, turning back towards Bernkastel. "Isn't my family getting killed off enough of a consequence?"

"That in itself was not caused by a mere ploy of words," said Bernkastel. "There was another event that triggered it. Your words planted the seeds of tragedy. _This_ event gave the rain necessary for those seeds to grow."

With another jerk and change of the scenery, Battler found himself back in Beato's room at Kuwadorian. She was now back in her real form, as was Shannon, who was sitting on the bed next to Beato. Beato, however, was _lying_ on the bed, hugging a small book to her chest.

"It's been six months and you're _still_ thinking about him?" said Shannon. "I know I'm only here once a month, but I thought you'd be over him by now."

"He promised, Sayo," said Beato dreamily. "He promised he would come back for me on a white horse. His exact words were...

"I'll be back, _see_ _you again, _I'll come to greet you riding on a white horse," finished Shannon, sounding weary as though she had heard this several times before. "Do you really think he'll _keep_ that promise, Maria?"

"I _know_ he will," said Beato, sitting up in bed. "I keep telling myself every night that one day, he will return to me and take me to his world. In fact, I wrote it down in my diary last night."

She then opened up the small book which was allegedly her diary and read out loud: "Dear diary, I am beginning to hate this place. I feel like a bird trapped in a cage—always watching the outside world, longing to fly away. Well, one day, I am going to fly away. I'm gonna escape this prison and do all the things he told me about—I'm gonna ride a rollercoaster. I'm gonna go to a zoo. And I'm gonna see a movie with him. Yes, when Battler comes back to Rokkenjima, I am going to escape and break free with his help. He will sweep me off my feet and carry me away on his white horse and we will live happily ever after."

As Shannon commented on the naive nature of Beato's words, Bernkastel said, "Battler, tell me—who do you see just out there?" She pointed to the door, which was ajar. Battler saw a foot in the doorway...he took a closer look, and saw a face...an angry face...

"Kinzo," whispered Battler, feeling nearly all the air knocked out of him. Kinzo was there. He had been there, and he had heard every word of what Beato had said. And he did _not_ look happy to hear a word of it.

Battler turned to Bernkastel. "What happens next?" he said in a quiet, angry voice.

Bernkastel did not reply. She just turned over to the two girls sitting on the bed, laughing and talking together as though they hadn't a care in the world. "It's always the sweet ones that get broken the most horribly," she said. "If you insist, I will show you. But I do not think you will like it."

"I'd rather find out what happened than _never_ know and go mad trying to guess," said Battler, trying to keep himself calm and composed. He had a bad, bad feeling as to _what_ happened next, but he had to see it for himself.

Bernkastel complied and within seconds, the two were in the basement of Kuwadorian. The atmosphere was dark and grim. "This takes place on the same day, just so you know," said Bernkastel. "It is now night time. They should be coming down any minute now."

"Who should be coming down?" said Battler, but a part of him already knew the answer.

Voices were heard: "Why do you want to speak to me down _here,_ grandfather? If you want, we could always just talk in the rose garden or in the parlour."

Kinzo and Beato were within sight as they came down the stairs and into the basement. "I have something very _private_ I wish to speak to you about," he said. "It's something that your Teacher would not wish to hear us speak of."

Battler did not like the look in Kinzo's eyes as he spoke. He looked like a panther ready to corner its prey—no, he looked like a customer ready to please himself with a prostitute.

"So grandfather," said Beato, walking over to the nearby cell, "What is it you want to talk to talk to me about? Why is it so bad you wouldn't want anyone upstairs to hear about it?"

A smile twitched across Kinzo's lips. "Oh, Maria," he said, "I know what you said to Shannon."

"Oh," said Beato, not appearing to get it. "You heard me calling her by her real name? I'm sorry, grandfather; I didn't know any better. From now on, I'll call her—"

"I'm talking about what you said about your beloved _Battler,_ you whore," said Kinzo sharply, walking right up to Beato until they were almost seeing eye-to-eye.

Battler was only aware now that he was trembling. "You bastard," he hoarsely whispered. "You wouldn't..."

"Grandfather," whispered Beato, who, too, was shaking. She took a few steps away from him. "I...I'm sorry, but..."

"But what?" said Kinzo sharply, taking another step towards her. "You _hate_ your own _home?_ You resent the fact that _I _was the one who provided you with a roof over your head all these years when I could've just sent you off to my orphanage, where you could have gone to a place _worse_ than this?"

"N—no, grandfather," stammered Beato. "I—I meant...I just..."

"You just want to _escape,_ is that it, hmm?" said Kinzo, now within inches of her. "Think again. I will personally make sure that you _never_ escape."

Beato, now seeing Kinzo for the monster he was, turned on her feet and began to run away, but she wasn't fast enough; Kinzo grabbed her by both arms and began dragging her towards him. Battler could no longer stand back and watch this; completely forgetting that no one could see or hear him, he cried out, "Stop it!" He ran up to the pair and, amidst Beato pleading Kinzo to let her go, he cried, "Let her go _now,_ or I'll kill you _personally!"_

"Grandfather, _stop!"_ pleaded Beato. "Please let go of me! Grandfather, let _go!_ Grandfather, you're hurting me, stop!"

But it was clear from the look of malice in his eyes that was his intention. Battler grabbed onto Kinzo's arms and tried pulling them away, ignoring Bernkastel's monotone: "It's useless; it's all useless, no one can see or hear you..."

Kinzo let go of one of her arms and pulled the left one towards him. He placed both hands around it, grasping it tighter and tighter, pulling it in his direction. Before either Battler or Beato had a chance to fight him off, there was a sickening _CRACK_ that echoed throughout the basement, and her arm was bent at a horrifying, unnatural angle.

_He broke her arm,_ Battler realized, looking back and forth between Beato's shocked expression and Kinzo's malicious one. _That bastard broke her arm...to prevent her from escaping...the owner who breaks a bird's wings to prevent it from ever flying away...that BASTARD!_

"Let go of her!" Battler screamed, now trying to jerk Kinzo away from grabbing Beato's other arm, but it was like passing right through a hologram. _"Let go of her!"_

But it was useless, it was all useless; Kinzo now latched onto Beato's other arm and within seconds, there was another horrible cracking sound accompanied by the arm being bent in the same unnatural angle as the other one. Kinzo then tossed Beato the ground like she was a limp ragdoll.

From a certain perspective, she _did_ look like a ragdoll lying on the ground, her arms spread out at an unhealthy angle, her body lying limp, her hair piling up just beneath her head. She was closing her eyes, wincing from the pain and then she slowly opened them. Kinzo was standing just above her, once again looking like the customer ready to absolutely _ravish_ the prostitute—whether she wanted him to or not.

Battler ran in front of the defenceless Beato and cried out, _"STOP!_ If you take one more step towards her, I'll kill you. Do you hear me? I'LL KILL YOU!"

He himself could do nothing to Kinzo...but at that moment, two people who _could_ do something about it came running down the stairs and straight to the scene of the horrid crime. Battler only realized this when Virgilia leaped in front of him and gave Kinzo the same roundhouse kick she had given Battler that morning. He _almost_ felt sorry for the old geezer, who was sent flying across the room and banged against the stone wall. _Almost._

While Virgilia rushed over to the injured Beato to comfort her, Ronove calmly walked up to Kinzo. In the same, calm demeanour, he picked Kinzo up by the shoulders and lifted him up off the ground, causing him to gasp, "Ronove..."

"I believe it was you who assigned Lady Beatrice and me the task of protecting this young lady right here," said Ronove, still managing to keep his cool. "And I assure you, we _will_ follow through on that order. Would you like me to demonstrate just how truly powerful I can be? No? Then stay away from her. Trust me—you'll be saving your own life in doing so."

Ronove dropped Kinzo, who fell back the ground. He smiled at the cowering Kinzo and walked over to Virgilia, who was cradling a sobbing Beato in her arms. "It hurts, Teacher," she sobbed, "It _huuuurts!"_

Battler felt a lump form in his throat. "Beato..." he whispered, longing to reach out to her, regretting that he was nothing more than a shadow doomed to watch but never act.

Virgilia looked Kinzo straight in the eye and said coldly, "If you _ever_ lay another hand on this child, I will do to your neck what you just did to her arms. _Leave_ if you don't want me to follow through with that threat."

Kinzo got up to his feet. It was now _his_ turn to tremble in fear; running all the way up the stairs. Not even this could distract Battler from the crying figure. She was no longer the happy, cheerful girl she had been at the start of this flashback. She had been completely broken.

"Now what is the matter, princess?" said Virgilia gently. "He's gone now, see? He'll never come back here again. We'll make sure he can't hurt you anymore."

"I—I can't—I can't stay here anymore!" choked Beato. "I can't stay, please take me away from here! Anywhere but here!"

Virgilia looked over at Ronove. "I think that can be arranged," she said, "Ronove? I think it is just about time to build that secret passage."

"Secret passage?" said Beato, sounding a tad bit hopeful.

"I know what you mean, Lady Beatrice," nodded Ronove. "Wait here for just a little while longer, princess. I will return shortly and then you will be whisked away from this place."

He disappeared in a burst of gold. Virgilia said, "Now, princess, come, try to remember. What form did your arms have? I'm sure they were very beautiful."

There was a pause and a sniffle. "I—I _can't,"_ sobbed Beato. "I can't remember!"

"Then I will do it for you if that is what you wish," said Virgilia in the same, gentle tone. "I will wait until you are lying down in a safe, warm bed and then I will repair your arms, if you want me to. Or, I can put you down on the floor and do so right now. What would you like?"

There was another pause before Beato said softly, "He—he isn't coming back, is he?"

"I promise you, that monster will _never_ lay a single hand you _ever_ again," said Virgilia, but Beato cried out, "I don't mean _him!_ I mean...that boy...I told you about him, remember? The one who promised...he promised he'd come for me on a white horse...but he never did. And he never came to rescue me." She let out a strangled sob. "Where was he? Where was my prince when I needed him? He isn't coming back, _he's never coming back!"_

"Beato," said Battler softly, reaching out to pat Beato on the head, but the scenery changed and he was back in the meta-world, surrounded by three witches who put on a mask of sorrow to hide their laughter.

"Do you realize your sin?" said Bernkastel, echoing her own words from just a few minutes before. "It was because of your sin that Beato suffered and grew to hate you. And it was because of your sin that Virgilia and Ronove had to write that epitaph and spread further rumours to protect her, unintentionally giving someone else an opportunity to take advantage of it, and ultimately, start this cycle of tragedy. Therefore, people die because of your sin."

Shaking, Battler said quietly, "I've seen enough. But before I leave, I am going to strike a deal. I may be the Endless Sorcerer, and I may have the power to bring the dead back to life...so I ask of you to please, revoke that power. Revoke that _one_ power. Let me keep everything else _but_ that."

Lambdadelta looked genuinely surprised. She certainly hadn't expected to hear _that_ out of him. "Are you sure?" she said, "Because if you do _that,_ then that means this will be the final game. You won't be able to reset the board or anything."

"Exactly," said Battler, struggling to get a grip on himself. "I'm doing this to end everyone's suffering. If someone gets killed, they get killed. If someone dies, they die. If I lose, then...I lose. I can't torture the ones I love anymore. I am _going_ to find out who the murderer is, but _not_ at the expense of my family, _or_ Beato."

Lambdadelta stuck out a hand. "Are you _sure?"_ she said. "I mean, I can still allow you to be able to heal those who are on the verge of death, but do you _really_ want me to take away your ability to outright revive the dead?"

Battler nodded furiously. "Yes," he said. "I am sure. Allow me to be able to heal. Do not allow me to revive...that would be a crueller punishment in itself than..."

The two of them shook hands and there was a soft, golden light encircling their hands before fading away. "It's a deal," said Lambdadelta.

"Now," said Battler, "If you will excuse me...I need to get home. I've seen and heard enough."

He vanished in a burst of gold. Lambdadelta blinked. "Wow, Bern," she said. "That worked _better_ than I thought. I mean, sure, I knew it would shake his confidence, but I didn't think it would come to _this..._wow..."

"You underestimated his feelings for the fair Beato, Lambdadelta," said Bernkastel. "Never underestimate the power of a man who has yet to realize the intensity of his emotions towards a woman."


	15. Chapter 15

15

'_What have I done?'_ thought Battler as he walked down the usual path to Kuwadorian shortly after lunch. '_This is the final game now—if someone dies, I can't bring them back. If Bernkastel wins, then she wins. How could I have let my emotions get the better of me? Damn it!_ _And… how am I going to face Beato? She must remember...how can I apologize to her? What should I say?'_

Battler approached the gate and squeezed in through the gap, walking right up the path to the rose garden. He was surprised to see Beato sitting up at the pavilion wearing her usual dress, her hair down, taking a sip of tea. He hoped this mean she was finally feeling well again. She had been sick for a week, but to Battler, it felt like she had been sick for a _year._

Battler was hesitant at first, but made his way across the rose garden and to where Beato was sitting. He was just a few steps away when she looked up into his eyes. The minute their eyes locked, Battler suddenly felt uncomfortable, and not just because of the embarrassing incident from earlier that morning. '_I'm the one who hurt you,'_ he thought, '_and you probably still remember it.'_

"Are you feeling better?" Battler finally said.

Beato turned back to her tea. "Yes," she said. "I haven't had another experience since yesterday. Teacher says I am probably better now—I don't feel weak and exhausted anymore, and I have my appetite back." She picked up a cookie and nibbled around the edges. "Ah, it feels good to be hungry again."

Battler took a seat next to her. "I'm glad you're well again," said Battler.

"Why? Because you missed arguing with me?" said Beato, putting down her cup and cookie.

"No," said Battler. He slipped his hand into hers, allowing their fingers to entwine. "It's because I missed _you."_

A look of surprise, then flattery made its way across Beato's face. "Thank you, Battler," she said. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but a fear of saying the wrong thing was holding her back.

Battler swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling his heart take up a quicker pace. He felt a sudden urge to place one hand on her face and draw it towards his...no. He decided there was something that needed to be taken care of before any advances could be made.

"Beato," said Battler, "There is something that's been on my mind...it's a song."

"A song?" asked Beato. Battler could tell she was hiding hope that he remembered. He said, "Yes, a song." He laughed, "Believe it or not, but my dad actually used to collect Elton John records from out west. And there was this one song...he would sometimes play it at night. Sometimes, he would play it on the piano and sing it to Asumu. And now, it's stuck in my head. I feel like singing right now."

"You feel like _singing?"_ laughed Beato. "Has the Endless Sorcerer gone _soft?"_ She stopped laughing when Battler began to sing softly, _"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words...how wonderful life is while you're in the world."_

A look of astonishment now placed itself on Beato's face. She whispered, "You remember..."

"Yes, Beato," said Battler. "I remember now. I remember my sin. And I want to say...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you." He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her back, drawing her close.

"Battler?" gasped Beato, feeling her face flush from both embarrassment and a fleeting hope that Battler returned these indescribable feelings she held for him. "W—what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," whispered Battler, light tears flowing down his cheeks. "I wasn't thinking. I didn't realize you would take what I said to heart."

"I...I wasn't exactly..." said Beato, but she couldn't find the right words to say and when she tried, her voice fell flat.

Battler just held her tightly for the next few minutes, not saying a word, allowing his embrace to speak his apology for him. Finally, he let go. He looked her in those eyes...those eyes that had seen more sorrow than any soul should see...

"Beato," said Battler, "I know. I know what he did to you."

"You...know..." said Beato slowly.

"That's right," said Battler. "I know."

With a dark look in her eyes, Beato said sharply, "Who told you? Who told you about something so _private;_ so _personal? _I _never_ wanted _anyone_ to know about it."

Battler realized he had accidentally touched a raw nerve. Clearly, the subject was something that she had no desire to reflect on. He said calmly, "Bernkastel showed me. During my last visit, she took me back in time...and showed me."

"_Bernkastel,"_ spat Beato. "Of course… I should have known."

She stood up and turned away from Battler. "I should have known she would do this," she said angrily. "She _would_ try something like that, wouldn't she? She _would_ show you that day...that day Kinzo taught me I couldn't trust _anyone_ without getting hurt."

He noticed her hands were rubbing her arms, as though she had just remembered the pain. He stood up. "Beato..."

"Did she show you anything else?" said Beato, still not facing him, "Beyond that?"

"She showed Virgilia and Ronove coming to your rescue, but that was it," said Battler.

Beato sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Call them," she said, "Summon them here."

Battler did not argue with her. He closed his eyes and murmured, "Ronove, Virgilia, I need you here. _We_ need you here."

He opened his eyes and sure enough, Ronove and Virgilia appeared before his eyes in a burst of gold. "You called for us?" said Ronove.

Battler turned to Virgilia. "After you left," he said, "Bernkastel showed me...what happened."

He did not have to elaborate; Virgilia got his message loud and clear. "I see," she said. She turned to Beato. "Beato, I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop her from—"

Beato raised a hand and said, "Teacher...you have my permission. Show him what happened after." She turned to face Virgilia. "Show him how I tried to put him behind...and what happened after I became the Endless Witch."

"Are you sure?" said Virgilia. "If it's too painful, then..."

"No," said Beato. "He has to know. He knows too much already, so...there's no good in trying to hide what happened to me anymore."

Battler wondered what else there was to see...hadn't he seen enough?

Virgilia turned to Battler. "Battler, take my hand."

Battler walked up to Virgilia. He was about to slip his hand in hers when Beato called out, "Battler."

Battler turned his head in Beato's direction. Her eyes had now grown almost apologetic. "Before you go, there is something I have to say," she said. "Keep it in mind, and please accept it, when you return." She blinked and a single teardrop rolled down her cheek as she whispered, "Forgive me."

"If this has to do with our games," Battler began, but Beato cut him off, "No, Battler. I know you've already forgiven me for that. But...what you are about to see...what you are about to _hear..._that is what I want you to forgive me for."

Battler wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what Beato had done that she wanted him to forgive her for, but he knew he had to know. He slipped his hand into Virgilia's and closed his eyes, feeling that same, familiar feeling of nausea from passing through time...

* * *

When Battler opened his eyes, he was in a room that looked very familiar...

There was a pink canopy bed, light-coloured wallpaper with cross-prints, a dark red floor, and a desk. Across from the bed was a large curtain spread across the wall. And on the other wall across the bed, there were double doors. The room was dark, but a figure lying in bed could be seen. Her eyes were shut, but she did not look as though she were really sleeping. Her blonde hair lay lifeless and limp.

Then he remembered.

This was the room where the gold had been hidden. And the girl lying in bed was Beato.

"Is this where Beato was hidden?" asked Battler.

"Yes," replied Virgilia. "Ronove and I were beginning to get a little uneasy at Kinzo's...behaviour...towards her. He started to take more of an interest in her body, as he made clear by...comments...he would make that he thought I could not hear. I told Ronove to build a secret room to take Beato to if we ever thought Kinzo was about to go too far. I wish we had taken her here sooner, but what's done is done."

She walked up to the bed, Battler following behind. "Here, six weeks have gone by since Kinzo assaulted her," said Virgilia, her eyes growing sad. "Before leaving, I used my magic to heal Beato's arms...but I could not use it to heal her soul. She wasn't as bad as she was at the start of the fifth game. She could still take care of herself, and she could still talk...but she did not smile or laugh. She was always in depression and refused to talk about it when I tried to tell her she could tell me what was wrong. I had a feeling as to what was bothering her, but she never outright said what it was...until this day."

Just then, the double doors opened and in came the other Virgilia holding a tray in her hands with a cloth covering a dish that smelled delicious to Battler's nostrils. The other Virgilia used one hand to flip the switch, and the room lit up. She walked over to the bed and said, "Princess, wake up. It's just past noon."

Beato opened up her eyes. She might as well have kept them closed; they were lifeless and dead. She wordlessly sat up in bed, her eyes cast downward.

"I thought that instead of serving you the same, bland lunch you've been having for the past few weeks, I'd give you a special treat you haven't had in a long time," said the other Virgilia, placing the tray down on the bed. She lifted up the cloth and revealed a slice of apple pie, "A nice, yummy piece of apple pie. You remember the apple pies I'd bake for you, don't you?"

Beato's eyes slowly regained life. She lifted up a hand and picked up the fork, dabbing at the slice before finally stabbing it through a tiny piece and lifted it up to her mouth. The sight was almost pitiful...then she smiled. She swallowed the mouthful and managed to crack just a tiny smile.

"Well?" urged the other Virgilia. "Do you like it?"

For the first time since Battler had arrived, Beato spoke, "May I have the rest of this at the desk, Teacher?"

"But of course," said the other Virgilia, who picked up the tray and carried it over to the desk. Beato got out of bed, wearing a white nightgown, and walked over to the desk. She sat down and began to have a few more mouthfuls of the pie before the other Virgilia said, "If you like, Ronove and I could occasionally take you outside. We will make sure no one but the servants can see you. You can run around in the sunshine and explore the island. How does that sound?"

Beato swallowed her current mouthful before saying, "You _promise_ no one will see me? Not even...?"

"Not even him," assured the other Virgilia.

"Maybe tomorrow," said Beato stiffly. "Right now, I need my paperweights."

"Ah," said the other Virgilia, pulling open a desk drawer and placing seven paperweights onto the desk. "Feel the need to call up your old friends now, do you?"

"I wish I could talk to them without these," said Beato. Battler realized only now how solemn she sounded. She did not sound depressed, but she no longer held a sunshiny disposition. She was quite serious-looking and sounding.

"If you practice enough, one day you will be able to summon them without finding their object of origin," said the other Virgilia, laying the seventh one onto the desk.

"Virgilia," said Battler, now curious, "What's about to happen? Why did you call those paperweights her _friends?"_

"You're about to find out in just a minute or two," said Virgilia, smiling mysteriously.

Beato had now finished her slice. She said, "Thank you, Teacher."

"You're welcome," said the other Virgilia, taking the tray. "Now see if you can concentrate."

Beato closed her eyes. She murmured, "Arise, Lucifer of Pride...Satan of Wrath...Leviathan of Envy...Belphegor of Sloth...Mammon of Greed...Beelzebub of Gluttony...Asmodeus of Lust...I am Maria, apprentice witch to the Endless Witch, Beatrice."

Faster than anyone could snap their fingers, each Stake appeared almost simultaneously, all surrounding the serious Beato, who opened up her eyes. She stood up and said, "Good day to each of you. It has been too long."

"Oh, tell me about it," yawned Asmodeus, "Waiting around for you was getting boring. _Bor-ing!"_

"Wait a second," said Battler as the Stakes began chatting with Beato, "So these ass nee-chans came from _paperweights?"_

"That is correct," said Virgilia, "Back when Beato lived at Kuwadorian, she had Shannon for a playmate, but she only came by once a month to avoid suspicion from Kinzo's wife. And she had me, and an assortment of servants, but never anyone her age to play with, nor did she ever have any toys. One day, after a long, tiring training session, she burst into tears about how lonely she was. I told her that she didn't _have _to be lonely all the time, that with the power of magic she could create new friends from anything she desired. She spent the rest of the day wandering around the mansion looking for something to create a friend from. By the end of the day, she had managed to create Lucifer out a paperweight. And over the next few months, she began to collect more paperweights, all of which started out as imaginary friends in her mind, until at last she managed to create all seven stakes of purgatory in a week and thus give them a meta-existence. She truly possessed such a great gift."

"Ah," said Battler. "So _that's_ where they came from. Ihihi, here I was thinking they were somehow connected to Purgatory when actually..." He stopped himself when he remembered he had the true power to deny magical beings. He had actually grown to like them; he didn't want them to vanish. Still, he couldn't help but wonder just what kind of loneliness Beato had to go through to make imaginary friends out of seven paperweights.

"Leviathan, get over yourself already," said Beato with a roll of her eyes. "I just happened to have more difficulty with you than the others. It doesn't mean I don't like you."

"Keep saying that," said Leviathan stubbornly, sticking out her bottom lip.

"It's good to see you're in the company of your friends again, princess," said the other Virgilia. "Do you need me to stay longer? Or do you think you will be just fine from here?"

"I think I'll be okay, Teacher," said Beato. "Thank you."

The other Virgilia smiled and disappeared in a burst of gold. Beato sighed and leaned against the chair. "Maria?" said Belphegor. "Is something wrong?"

"I've been depressed," said Beato, slouching forward. "So much has gone wrong, I'm beginning to doubt if it'll ever go _right."_

"What happened?" said Satan. "You can tell us."

Beato stood up straight and crossed her arms. "I don't want to talk about it," she said coolly, walking over to the bed.

"Then why did you call _us_ up?" asked Satan grumpily.

"I called you because I was feeling lonely," snapped Beato. "I didn't call you to pry on my personal life!"

"Oh, sorry," said Asmodeus. "Wait, I think I know what it's about...it's about a boy, isn't it?"

Beato sat down on the bed. "Yes," she said dully. "It's about a boy...a boy I was _stupid_ enough to care for. He promised he would come back for me...but he never did."

She squeezed her eyes shut and tears came pouring down her cheeks. With an achy feeling in his heart, Battler walked up to the bed and sat next to Beato. He knew she couldn't see or hear him, but he gently wrapped his arms around her. He could not pull her in for a hug, so he just sat next to her, hoping she could somehow sense his presence.

"Maria," said Asmodeus gently, "Do you need a hug?"

Beato burst into tears and nodded. Battler closed his eyes and lay his head on Beato's, imagining that the Stakes weren't surrounding them trying to comfort Beato, that it was just the two of them. "I can't trust _anyone,"_ she sobbed. "My grandfather...no, _Kinzo..._he...and Battler-kun...he's not here..."

"I'm here," said Battler softly. "You can't see me, but I'm here."

Realizing it was all useless, he let go of her and stood up off the bed.

"Now Maria," spoke up Lucifer, "Are you really going to spend the rest of your life moping around over some _boy?_ Where's your _pride?_ Where's your _backbone?_ You don't need him—forget him! You can pick yourself up and go on without him! Who needs men?"

"I do!" cried Asmodeus.

Lucifer rolled her eyes. "Ignoring my sister," she said, "Just look at yourself."

She picked up a handheld mirror on the dresser and placed it in Beato's hands. "Look into this mirror and tell me what you see."

Beato looked into the mirror. "I see me," she said.

"Yes, but _what_ part of you do you see?" said Lucifer.

Beato furrowed her brow in concentration. "I see," she muttered, "I see...Beatrice's apprentice."

"Exactly," said Lucifer firmly. "That's who you are: Lady Beatrice's apprentice. One day, you may even _become_ Lady Beatrice. _She_ is a woman of respect. _She_ does not need a man. And if or when she _does_ find a man to settle with, she settles with him because she _wants_ to, not because she _needs_ to."

Beato slowly looked up. "You know what," she said. "You're right. What was I thinking, waiting around for my Prince Charming to come rescue me? Hah!" With a toss of her hair, she said, "Battler may never come back for me. So what? I don't need him. One day, I will become Beatrice the Golden. And I will never need another man ever again."

"Okay," said Battler slowly. "So she's decided she's not going to let my broken promise get her down—isn't that a good thing? Why should she apologize for it?"

"That's not what she wishes to apologize for," said Virgilia. "It is what comes two years later that she wishes to apologize for. As to what it is...that is what you are about to find out."

With a jerk and change of the scenery, Battler found himself and Virgilia outdoors, just outside the edge of the forest. "At this time," said Virgilia, "she is no longer 'Maria'. She has now become 'Beatrice'."

Just then, Beato appeared in a burst of gold. She looked _much_ closer to the Beato that Battler knew in the present: Her hair was up in its usual bun and she was wearing her classical dress. She looked solemn. By her side stood the other Virgilia who said, "Didn't you enjoy your succession ceremony? I thought this was the level you desired."

"It is," said Beato, strolling alongside the trees. "Yet somehow...I am not satisfied. I have achieved the highest possible level of all witches. I have achieved eternal happiness...yet I am not sure if I know what that is."

"Ah," said the other Virgilia. "When I reached this level, I was unsure if I was truly happy. In time, you will come to accept where you are now and realize your happiness."

Beato seemed unsatisfied with this answer. "Maybe I just need time getting used to this. I've always dreamed of becoming the next Endless Witch...and now I am...I just can't believe it. Yes...I need some time alone."

"If you insist," said the other Virgilia with a bow. "Anytime you wish to speak, you may call on me. It has been a pleasure training you...Lady Beatrice."

The other Virgilia vanished. Beato sighed and leaned against a nearby tree. "If only I hadn't left her alone," muttered Virgilia. "If only I had just _stayed..._after I left, someone else showed up. Someone who touched upon sensitive old wounds for Beato...and awoke her anger..."

Not long after Virgilia said this, Bernkastel seemed to almost come from right behind a row of trees. "Good day to you, Lady Beatrice," said Bernkastel. "I hope you are enjoying your new title."

"Well, considering I've only had it for five minutes, yes, I enjoy it _very _much," said Beato dryly. "You're one of those witches from that ceremony, aren't you? You and Lady Lambdadelta stood together, but you didn't look happy to have to stand beside her."

"Allow me to introduce myself," said Bernkastel. "I am Frederica Bernkastel, the Witch of Miracles. I can give birth to all kinds of miracles with my power as long as the probability of the miracle happening is not zero."

"Interesting, very interesting," said an amused Beato. "So if the probability of snow falling on this island were one in zero, then you could not make it happen. But if the chance were significantly higher, then you could make it snow."

"Something along those lines, yes," said Bernkastel. Then, "If there is something you desire, I can make it happen for you. As long as the probability is not zero, I can make some of your dreams come true."

"I've already achieved the highest level of all witches," said Beato. "What else could I dream of? What would I have to hope for?"

"Happiness, perhaps," said Bernkastel. "You said you are not sure what eternal happiness is. Tell me what you _think_ it is."

At this, Beato did not seem sure of what to say, so Bernkastel said, "What about love? Do you think eternal happiness can give you love? Or that love can be born from eternal happiness?"

"Love," scoffed Beato. "What a concept. Without love, it cannot be seen...I have all the love I need from my furniture."

"What about from another human?" said Bernkastel. "Have you ever had the experience of falling in love with a human?"

Beato folded her arms. "What is your point in asking me this?" she said irritably.

"I am trying to illustrate a point to you," said Bernkastel. "I come from a world where love originating from friendship was necessary in order to escape the labyrinth of desperation. Without it, everyone fell apart and turned on each other. Without your love for another human, how can you see your potential?"

Beato turned her back to Bernkastel. "I think I felt something _similar_ to love once," she said. "But...it was all just silly, foolish hopefulness. There's a danger in building your hopes up for someone whom you're not even certain will be there for you."

"Ah yes," said Bernkastel. "I remember witnessing this in the sea of kakera...this is about that boy, isn't it? Ushiromiya Battler?"

Beato closed her eyes. "Yes," she said. "It was _that_ boy. He had red hair...and such a charming smile..." She shook her head and opened her eyes. "But I left him behind me a long time ago. I don't need to think about him now."

Bernkastel made it clear she was not going to let Beato leave it behind her.

"So you're just going to leave this boy behind you forever? You're going to forget the way he made you feel back then? You're going to shove the memories of his smile out of your head? You're going to leave behind the way he made you laugh and smile and just simply enjoy life? Can you _really_ leave someone like that behind you?"

Beato slowly turned around back to Bernkastel. "Yes," she said. "I remember now...I remember his smile...I remember his botched-up English...I remember those silly things he said to me...things that made me laugh...and that last thing...the very last thing he said to me. That promise."

"Did he keep that promise?" said Bernkastel. "Did he _really_ love you as much as you thought he did?"

"He...he probably just forgot," said Beato, her voice wavering between calm and anger.

"Why would he forget?" questioned Bernkastel. "If you really and truly meant anything to him at all, why would he forget all about you? I would've thought you would make such an impact on his life he'd _never_ forget you. But I guess he just doesn't care about you."

"That's not true," whispered Battler. "I was still grieving. I was..."

"_She_ doesn't know that," said Virgilia, pointing to the silent and still figure, stunned by Bernkastel's words. "She had already begun to suspect you intentionally left her behind, and Bernkastel fed her mad suspicions."

"But...I didn't realize..." Battler's voice faltered.

Beato's figure suddenly began to shake. She let out a laugh unlike any laugh Battler had ever heard from her before...not a witchy laugh or an elegant laugh or even a chuckle...this laugh was an odd mixture of insanity and joy. She threw her head back and laughed this unhealthy laugh for about a minute and a half before crying out, "Oh what the hell? I'm the Endless Witch now; I can do anything I want, right? That Battler had better _pray_ he never comes back to Rokkenjima, because when he does, I am going to show him what _true _eternal happiness is for _me—_the ability to be able to revive someone just for the purpose of torturing them over and over! A-ha-ha-ha!"

"Now that you mention it," said Bernkastel, walking up to the deranged witch, "Lady Lambdadelta and I have been travelling through the sea of Kakera recently. If you are patient enough, Lambdadelta can set up a game board for the day Battler returns to Rokkenjima. It will be a very _special_ game just for the two of you. And you can use this game as your little way of getting back at him. We will tell you the rules behind it when the day arrives. How does that sound?"

Beato smiled a crooked smile. "Can you _guarantee_ he will return one day?"

"Indeed I can," nodded Bernkastel, "Just be patient, and the day will arrive."

"Good," said Beato, "Because you know what? I hate him. I _hate_ him." She threw her head back once more and cried out, "Do you hear me, Battler? _I HATE YOOOOOOUUU!"_ She cackled, "I don't even _care_ about your _stupid_ horse anymore! And if you come up to me on it, I'll just kill it and eat it for my supper! Better yet, I'll kill you _and_ the horse and have you _both _for supper! A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

She leaned forward and cackled, "Oh, just you _wait._ When you return to Rokkenjima; that will be the day you will wish you were never born. When you return, you had _better_ remember me, because if you don't, then I'll torture you. I'll _hurt_ you. I'll hurt you in the same way _you_ hurt _me._ No, I'll hurt you _worse_ than you hurt me—it will come back to you ten times stronger!"

Battler caught his breath when Beato whipped around in his direction, forgetting she could not see him. The look in her eyes was wild and angry. She had an odd, twisted smile on her face. "I hope you can hear me," she said coldly, still keeping that look of insanity. "You will regret the day you ever crossed the Golden Witch Beatrice, _Ushiromiya Baattleeeeerrr! A-HA-HA-HA-HA! A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"_

* * *

Battler was startled by a sudden jerk. He realized only now just how fast his heart had been pounding. He closed his eyes and opened them. He was back in the rose garden of Kuwadorian. "We...we're definitely back in the present now, right?" said Battler shakily.

"Yes, we are," said Virgilia, taking a step in front of him. "And now, I think, you should turn around."

Battler slowly turned around. Beato was walking across the rose garden, coming towards Battler. She looked the complete opposite of the person he had seen just a minute ago. Aside from the obvious—her hair being down and her composure slightly less proud—she looked serene, at peace with the world, yet also melancholic, and with a degree of shame. When she stood just a few feet in front of him, her eyes were neither wild nor angry. They were filled with sadness and regret.

"I forgive you, Beato," said Battler gently, putting the image of the psychotic witch from before out of his mind.

At this, Beato bowed her head in shame and closed her eyes, unable to cry or speak.

"In the end," spoke Ronove, walking up to the two of them, "it can be said that this tragedy stemmed from a misunderstanding on both parts...the young boy with his charming words...and the young girl with her naivety...both being too young and inexperienced to know any better."

Indeed. It was a twisted tragedy of sorts...a tragedy that happened because neither really understood the other. He did not realize how naive she was. She did not realize how foolish he was. They were both tragic for it. Almost like Romeo and Juliet...the young couple whose tragedies were brought on by a series of misunderstandings. It had been too late for Romeo and Juliet...it was not too late for Battler and Beato.

"Beato," said Battler, stepping forward, "I know we both made a mistake...but it isn't too late." He tilted her chin up ever so slightly and slipped one hand into hers. "Could it be possible for us to start over?"

Beato nodded, opening her eyes. "I think that can be arranged," she said softly.

Battler smiled. "Then come—we'll make up for all the time we lost together."

Beato smiled ever so slightly at that. She slipped her hand out of his and said, "Let's get back at the Stakes for that little prank they pulled last night."

The tension relieved, Battler grinned. "Oh, now don't be _too_ cruel on them."

"No, _I_ won't," said Beato as the two began to walk off, "But what about _you?_ I know; let's glue Lucifer and Beelzebub together, a-ha-ha-ha! Or better yet, let's..."

For this afternoon, there would be no talk of tragedy or of any potential relationships blossoming between them. There would be just a simple, sweet afternoon to make up for the heavy weight of that day.

* * *

_Please do not deplore yourself.  
Even if the world does not forgive, I will forgive you._

_Please do not deplore yourself.  
Even if you do not forgive the world, I will forgive you._

_So please tell me.  
What will it take for you to forgive me?_

_--Frederica Bernkastel_


	16. Chapter 16

16

Battler and Beato spent the rest of the afternoon together, leaving behind the tragedy Battler had came to understand just a few hours ago. They spent a carefree, happy day together, starting it off by thinking of various ways to get back at the Stakes.

"Beelzebub's weakness is croissants," said Beato, lying next to Battler in the grass staring up at the sky. "We could give her a croissant with castor oil sprinkled on top of it, a-ha-ha-ha!"

"Nah, that's _too_ cruel," said Battler. "How about we shame Lucifer by slashing open her blouse?"

"Ah, you remember that," said Beato. "Oh, that was fun. She hated me for it afterwards, but it was fun at the time."

"You enjoy playing with them a little _too_ much, you know that?" Battler lightly chuckled.

"Oh I do," sighed Beato, "They've always been there for me over the years. Hey, do you think that cloud looks like Gaap?"

Battler squinted. "Sort of," he said. "But that one over there looks like Maria's rose."

Soon, their plans of revenge were forgotten and they lay there for the next few minutes spotting clouds of different shapes and sizes.

"Gone over to 'dere' yet, Beato?" called out Gaap, startling the two from their silence.

Beato sat up and saw Gaap standing just above her and Battler. "I'm just having a nice time with Battler, that's all," she said quickly.

"Mm-hmm," nodded Gaap, smiling. "What are you going to say next? 'Shut up, idiot'? Isn't that what tsunderes are saying now?"

Beato rolled her eyes and said, "Come, Battler. We'll go somewhere else where we won't be bothered."

Battler stood up, but stumbled over his feet just as Beato began to stand up and landed on top of her, nearly pinning her down to the ground when he tried to get off her. Ignoring Gaap's laughing at this sight, they locked eyes, nearly losing track of time in each other's gaze. Battler was tempted to lean in just a bit closer and...

Instead, he stood up and said, "So, uh...what do you say we continue our game of chess? Or how about we just, uh...have a picnic outside?"

* * *

Feeling free from the burden placed by the tension from before, the two spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's company, either playing games or sitting outside talking about various aspects of their lives. Forgotten was the haunting reminder that Battler only had two days to solve the mystery, or their former enmity. What was also forgotten was, once again, the track of time.

"Hah! Checkmate!" laughed Beato triumphantly, having beaten Battler in yet another game of chess. "When are you going to forfeit already and acknowledge who the real master is?"

"Never!" declared Battler melodramatically. "One of these days, I'll get you, Beato!"

"Then how about we play another round, hmm?" said Beato, who began to reset the pieces, but then Battler's eyes flew over to the clock. He shot up from his seat. "Oh crap, it's six-thirty. Sorry, Beato, but I have to go now."

Beato stood up and said, "Can't you stay one minute longer?"

Battler shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I was already late coming home last night," he said. "I don't think my parents are going to buy the same excuse twice."

Beato looked a bit disappointed. "Oh," she said. "I forgot...your family. You still have to save them."

"Yes, I can't believe _I_ forgot that, too," groaned Battler. "I just hope I still have time to figure everything out before..."

"You probably will," said Beato, walking up to Battler. Once again, they locked eyes. Their faces leaned in closer...closer...

Beato threw her arms around Battler and gave him a tight hug, quickly moving her head to his shoulder, scolding herself for thinking about _that._ "Good night, Battler," she said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes," said Battler, parting from her awkwardly, "See you tomorrow." As he began to walk out of the parlour, he pretended not to notice the presence of Virgilia, Gaap, the Stakes, and Ronove, all of whom were standing just outside in the hall. Beato, however, marched up to them and said just as Battler left, "Have you been spying on us?"

"Milady, we would never _spy,"_ said Ronove, holding back a smile, "We're just a tad...curious about your relationship was Master Battler, pukuku."

Beato gave Ronove a cold look before turning to Virgilia who said, "A friendship appears to be blossoming between you two. I think it would be good for you to make friends with a human, that's all."

"Yeah, exactly," said Beato quickly, "We're just friends. I enjoy playing with him...and that's it."

"Yeah," said Gaap, "Playing with him… Sure."

Beato just glared at her demon friend. Lucifer smiled and said, "I think it is safe to say you have officially gone over from 'tsun' to 'dere'."

"Shut up, idiot," muttered Beato before stalking off.

Lucifer rolled her eyes. "And now we're back to 'tsun'...for now."

* * *

Battler had hoped that as long as he was quick and stealthy, no one would ever notice he was gone, and no one would notice him on the way back. However, as he began to make his way through the forest, he couldn't shake off the feeling he was being watched....

Battler spun around, then relaxed. He thought he had heard the sound of a twig snapping. "Probably just the wind," he muttered, turning around....

"AAAAHHHHHH!" he screamed at the sight of Jessica, Ange, and Maria standing before him, having seemed to come out of nowhere. He nearly fell over from the shock, stammering, "Wh—where did you _all_ come from?"

"Oh, we've been hiding behind this tree for the past ten minutes or so, waiting for you to come out of that mansion," said Jessica nonchalantly, "When you weren't back by three-thirty, Uncle Rudolf sent us to go get you."

"Uu, sorry Battler," piped up Maria with a guilty expression, "Jessica and Ange made me tell them where you were."

"So what have you been doing for the past few hours out here, then?" asked Battler. "Spying on me?"

"Don't you think _we _should be asking _you_ that question?" said Jessica, raising an eyebrow.

"Onii-chan, we _saw_ you with a pretty lady," said Ange, "The two of you were outside together, laughing and talking. She kind of looked like that lady in that painting, but we didn't get to see her up close."

Maria smiled knowingly at Battler, indicating she had kept Beato's true identity a secret.

"So tell us, Battler," said Jessica, folding her arms across her chest, "Who's your mystery girlfriend, hmm? And is 'talking' the _only_ thing you do together? Now come on—tell us the truth, or we'll just assume you and this girl are doing_ more_ than talking and tell Uncle Rudolf that."

Battler looked back and forth between the three girls—Jessica, Ange, and Maria. Realizing there was no way he could lie about how he spent his time with Beato without making it sound suspicious, he said, "Do you really want the truth?"

"Yes, onii-chan," said Ange, "Please tell us the truth."

Still thinking about the right way to describe it, Battler said, "Well, ah...here's the thing: It's a really, _really_ long, complicated story and if I tried explaining _all_ of it to you, we would still be here the next morning. So the best way I can make a long story short is...there have been multiple scenarios where everyone in our family was killed gruesomely over and over, and after the first scenario, I ended up in _Purgatorio—_one minute, I was crying out for Beatrice to show herself, the next I was suddenly in this weird world that kind of looked like the guest house except some of the people who had been killed were alive, and, well, the witch Beatrice approached me and I told her she didn't exist, so we engaged in this lengthy, _lengthy_ battle where she would come up with different 'games' and claim she killed everyone in magic, and I had to disprove her story. Well, to make an even longer story shorter, it backfired on her when this weird girl detective named Erika Furudo washed up on the island and killed Beatrice, so I turned back time to one week before the games usually begin and brought her back to life and revoked her powers...except _then_ she got sick, so I've been spending the past few days visiting her...and also trying to prove who killed us all."

When Battler was finished, he realized how completely ridiculous all that sounded. He was not the least bit surprised for Jessica and Ange to burst into laughter. "That's the silliest thing you've ever said, onii-chan!" giggled Ange.

Gasping in between fits of laughter, Jessica said, "I have to congratulate you, Battler...for coming up with such an elaborate lie on the spot!"

"But it isn't a lie," said Battler, trying to keep a straight face and hide his annoyance. "It's the truth."

"Uu," said Maria, tugging at Battler's sleeve, "Maria believes you."

"Thank you," sighed Battler, _"_At least there's_ someone _who doesn't think I'm crazy."

"Oh, I don't think you're crazy," said Jessica, haven finally calmed down. "I just think you're stupid for thinking we'd _believe_ that! Oh, wait till Uncle Rudolf hears _this—_not only have you been sneaking off to see a girl, you have also learned how to tell elaborate lies! Do you really think we'd believe that girl really is Beatrice?"

"She is!" said Battler defiantly. "In fact, I'll bring her over for dinner tomorrow night and introduce her to you all!"

"Why don't you bring her out here _now?"_ asked Jessica, placing her hands on her hips.

"Because...because we have to go home now, that's why," said Battler quickly, "But I'll run back quickly, explain the situation to her, and she'll come for dinner tomorrow night! Then you'll see I was not lying! Until then, keep quiet about this, okay?"

"Uu, promise!" nodded Maria.

"I promise, onii-chan," said Ange innocently. She looked up at Jessica who sighed, "Fine. I promise not to tell anyone as long as you're quick about inviting her over. If you're not back in fifteen minutes..."

"Oh, I've only been walking for five minutes," said Battler, beginning to turn on his heel, "I guarantee you tomorrow night will be a night that'll surprise you!"

* * *

After getting over her laughter over Battler's predicament, Beato had promised to come over for dinner at Battler's house the following night. For the time being, Battler went back to the house with Jessica, Ange, and Maria, all of whom told Rudolf that Battler had gotten lost once again and promised to go with him to keep him from getting lost again.

After dinner, Battler ran into Genji, who was just brushing the dust off the edges of Beatrice's portrait. "Good evening, Genji," said Battler cheerfully, walking up to the busy butler, "You know, I think that woman in the portrait is kind of cute. I thought I heard at one point she was Kinzo's lover and gave him a ton of gold—is that true?"

"To the extent of my knowledge, yes it is," said Genji, now putting the feather duster away. "I remember how devastating it was for the family when the gold was lost once. The master vowed not to lose it again, but he needed some help in managing his finances. After going through quite a bit of recommendations, he finally found a man most worthy to helping him with his cause: Christopher Lombardi, who came to stay with us while his home was under repairs in late 1967. I remember him—tall, sturdily-built, blonde hair, striking blue eyes. He was a good-looking man. And his wife, Angela, was quite a good match for him—long, dark hair, olive skin, dark blue eyes. Yes, they made a good couple, all right. Shame they had to die. Ah, well, Angela _was_ always in delicate health. I just wish I were there by her side when she gave birth to a beautiful daughter, whose fate I am not certain of. It's too bad Christopher couldn't be there."

"Ah, Christopher was busy being sick," nodded Battler, deciding not to let Genji know the fate of the baby girl—aka, Beato. "By the way, what did he have? I only know he died of a long-term illness sometime after his daughter's birth, but that's it. What was it, cancer? TB?"

A look of surprise made its way on Genji's face. "Illness?" he said. "Oh no, he did not die of a long-term illness. For that matter, he did not die _after_ the birth of his daughter either."

Battler frowned. "Are you _sure?"_ he said, "I swear I heard from someone else that he died of a long-term illness."

Genji shook his head. "Whoever told you this was mistaken, sir," he said. "Christopher died in a drunken brawl with the master. The two got together one night and had some drinks. According to the master, they got into an argument over how to handle their finances and it ended with him accidentally shooting and killing Christopher. Now, I cannot say this is for certain because I arrived at the scene an hour after the alleged incident. The master and the former Lady Beatrice were there. They told me what happened and said they would take care of it, and they also said they would tell Angela herself. After that, Angela was put on bed rest—I suppose the shock of her husband's death was what caused her health to decline, especially dangerous in a pregnancy. Sir? Are you all right? You look pale."

"Huh? Oh yeah," said Battler quickly. "I just, uh...I need some air."

Battler ran quickly down the hall and out the front doors into the rose garden. All the while, he thought, '_So Virgilia lied when she said Beato's father died of illness. But why would she lie? To protect Kinzo? To protect Beato from the truth in case she was listening on the other side? But if that were the case, couldn't she have just pulled me aside when she was absolutely sure Beato wouldn't be listening and told me what really happened?'_

_Unless...unless she killed Beato's parents._

Battler shook his head and walked over to the guest house, scolding himself: _Get those thoughts out of your head! Why would she do something like that?_

_Maybe she wanted a child of her own, but did not have the man to make one with?_

_Yeah, so? She could've just approached Kinzo and asked if she could adopt a child from his orphanage._

_Pride and arrogance appears to come with being the Endless Witch. Her pride may have gotten in the way of her asking for help...and thus, when she found out that Angela and Christopher were expecting a child, she grew envious. She hated them and cursed them for their happiness, and so she shot Christopher and somehow convinced Kinzo to make it look like he did it in a drunken brawl...then she waited for Beato to be born, and then killed her mother and somehow made it look like she died in childbirth._

Battler opened the door to the guest house and nearly stumbled in. He closed the door behind him, walked up to one of the beds, and laid down on it. He was getting disturbing images in his head of how Virgilia may have carried out Angela's murder: _"Angela, dear, look at you; you must be so sore after going through all that hard work to bring this beautiful child into the world! Here, let me massage your shoulders...you still look tense, dear, let me massage your neck...I think I'm being a little too soft, let me squeeze tighter..."_

And if it wasn't _that_ scenario playing through his head, it was the other one: _"You look tired. Do you need me to fluff up your pillow for you? ...No, dear, I insist...I don't think this is fluffy enough, do you? ...please, try this pillow out for yourself and give me a second opinion on it...oh, it doesn't feel too fluffy for your back? Then please, tell me how fluffy it is for your face..."_

"Onii-chan?"

Battler screamed and leaped right out of bed and onto the floor. His heart was pounding so hard he thought others could hear it. He shakily stood up and saw Ange giggling. "Got you!" she laughed.

"Now Ange, be nice to your brother," said Kyrie, smiling at the two. She was playing a card game with Rudolf, appearing to have reconciled with him. "I'm sure he's had a long, hard day from exploring the island so much."

Battler smiled weakly, "You could say that."


	17. Chapter 17

17

Time seemed to almost fly by between the time Battler found out the truth about Beato's father, and time the two were in a rush to prepare for the upcoming dinner. It was at around six PM the next day that Beato was rushing to get ready, acting uncharacteristically worried over how to look.

"Damn it," growled Beato as she flipped through her closet. "It's almost six-thirty and I have nothing to wear!"

"Why not just wear that Zettai Ryouiki outfit you sometimes like to wear, Beato?" suggested Gaap. "That's what it's called now, right?"

"I've considered that," said Beato. "But maybe that's too casual. Maybe I'm _supposed_ to wear my usual dress, but what if they recognize me as Beatrice? Or what if they don't, but I show up overdressed?"

"Then maybe you should go in that cute white bathrobe of yours," joked Gaap. "I'm sure Battler would love it!"

Beato replied to this by taking out the towel drying her hair and whipping it at a laughing Gaap. "Gaap," she said, "should I go with my hair up or down?"

"Either looks good on you," shrugged Gaap.

"But which would look _better_ with what outfit?" asked Beato, whipping out her dress and an assortment of clothing items that made up her casual wear. "If I go with my suit, should I wear my hair up or down?"

"I think you look very 'dere' with your hair down, Beato," said Gaap playfully, batting her eyelashes at her friend with rolled her eyes and said, "Then I'll wear my hair up tonight, just to spite you. Consider yourself lucky I no longer possess the power to freeze you whenever I'm in a bad mood. Now what should I wear—dress or Zettai Ryouiki?"

"If I told you which one looked more romantic, you would just go for the other one, right?" said Gaap. "Like that dress, which Battler would _love_ to see you in?"

"Fine, I'll go for Zettai Ryouiki," sighed Beato, beginning to put the dress away. "Now go, and don't make anymore wise cracks."

Gaap just smiled and disappeared through a black hole.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later at the Ushiromiya mansion, Battler was standing just outside in the rose garden, pacing back and forth. She had told him not to worry about picking her up and that she would make it here on her own, but what if she got lost? What if she did not know the way to the Ushiromiya mansion and never showed up? What if he was left standing here all alone and Jessica came outside to laugh at him and taunt him over his girlfriend?

_Maybe I should go over and pick her up,_ thought Battler. _Nah, it's useless, it's all useless; if I leave now, I'll be late coming back. Maybe I SHOULD have left sooner, but it's too late now. What to do if she doesn't show up? I already stopped by the kitchen and told Gohda and Kumasawa to make an extra dish because we would be expecting someone later tonight. Maybe, if the worse comes to worse and she doesn't show up, I could just give some of the leftovers to Ange? Ah, damn; that reminds me—the rest of the family will be arriving tomorrow and I STILL don't have a clue who the murderer is! I'm getting vague ideas, but I don't know if that's enough...I need to stop it. My own whining is starting to make ME get irritated! I should just relax. Yes, don't worry about a thing...just relax._

Battler found it hard to relax when he had several different things on his mind all at once—Beato's arrival, how they were supposed to act when sitting together at the dinner table, whether anyone in his family was getting suspicious of his casual talk, who would murder him in his sleep if he wasn't careful, and especially his disturbing discovery last night.

He had already resolved not to tell Beato about it—there was no need for her to know unless something arose that made it absolutely necessary. Besides, she had already been through enough grief in her life; she didn't need the revelation that her Teacher had lied to her about the fate of her parents—and may have possibly had something to do with it.

But should he confront Virgilia with his discovery? _That_ was what he needed to know. After all, maybe he had jumped to the wrong conclusion; maybe Beato's father really had died in a drunken brawl with Kinzo, and maybe her mother really did die in childbirth. Maybe she had lied to protect Kinzo's name...yet there was something about this comforting thought that just didn't add up. He wasn't sure just _what_ didn't make sense; he just didn't think this was very likely.

Battler was wondering what to say if he chose to confront Virgilia when he heard footsteps. His head turned and his heart sped up, hoping Beato had at last arrived. He was relieved to see a girl with blonde hair up in a fancy bun, a rose in her hair, wearing her alternate uniform of choice—Battler struggled to remember what it was called—Zettai _something_...Ryouiki? Yes, that was it.

Beato walked up to Battler and said, "Am I late? It's such a pain to not be able to just change into a golden butterfly and fly wherever and whenever I want."

"No, you're just five minutes away from dinner," said Battler, relieved to see he wouldn't be laughed at after all. "And get used to using your legs to get you around—I've never needed to turn into a golden butterfly even once!"

"That's only because you would probably turn into a golden _worm_ if you tried," teased Beato. Then, "How do I look? I wasn't sure what to wear for _this_ event."

Only one word came to mind. Battler was searching for another word to replace it, but it slipped out anyway: "You look beautiful."

At this, Beato lightly blushed. She said, "So, uh...is everyone waiting inside?"

"Of course," said Battler quickly. "This way."

He led Beato through the rose garden and to the front doors, all the while wondering how she would be greeted.

* * *

"Uu! Where's Battler?" asked Maria as she sat around the dinner table with the rest of her family. Dinner had already been served; now, the only person they had to wait for was Battler.

"Oh, he's probably waiting for his imaginary girlfriend," yawned Jessica.

"Imaginary girlfriend?" chuckled Kyrie. "Now who could _this _be, I wonder?"

"Jessica!" said Ange. "We promised not to tell!"

"Not to tell what?" said Rudolf.

Ange gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, causing her parents to lightly chuckle. "Now Ange," said Rudolf gently, "what was it your brother made you and Jessica promise not to tell us?"

"Nothing," said Ange innocently, looking down at her dinner plate, playing with her mashed potatoes.

"Is it about a girl?" prompted Kyrie.

"Oh, it's nothing," scoffed Jessica. "Battler claims to be in some sort of mind-chess battle with a witch, and he plans on bringing said witch to dinner tonight."

"Uu!" piped up Maria. "She's not a witch anymore! Battler revoked her powers, uu!"

"Maria," said Rosa sternly, but Krauss said, "Now Rosa, let the children have their fantasies. I'm sure Battler was just teasing you all. Maybe his girlfriend is _witchy_—to replace the first letter with another letter—but she might not actually _be_ a witch."

"Yeah, well, she apparently looked like the woman in that portrait," shrugged Jessica. "I believe her name was..."

Just then, the doors to the dining room opened and in came Genji who announced, "Allow me to have the pleasure to announce the arrival of a new guest tonight...the Golden Witch, Beatrice!"

There were gasps around the table as Battler came through the doorway with Beato standing on one side of him. Beato sighed, "You flatter me too much, Genji. I am no longer a witch. Now, I am just a mere mortal with a lower stance."

"Beato!" cried out Maria, happy to see her idol now fully recovered. Rosa sat there in shock, her face white, whispering, "This is not possible..."

"B—Beatrice!" stammered Jessica. She stood up straight and said quickly, "It is a great pleasure to have you here at the dinner table with us on this night!"

The other adults echoed the same sentiments as Battler led Beato across the room to where they would sit together. "Thank you all," said Beato as she sat down in a chair Battler pulled out for her. "But as I said, I am no longer a witch, nor am I Beatrice. I am now Beato. Just Beato—a mere mortal."

"Uu, Maria still admires you!" said Maria. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, I am feeling _much_ better now," said Beato, smiling over at Battler who took a seat next to her. "You see, I've been sick for the past week. But I was lucky enough to have a visitor."

"And was that visitor our son by any chance?" spoke Rudolf, looking over at Kyrie as he said this.

"Yes, it was," said Battler, hoping his parents wouldn't be _too_ mad at him for now finding out about his lie. "I've been seeing her...but I was _just _visiting her, and that's all. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if there was a way I could put it without it sounding, you know...suspicious."

"You're right," laughed Rudolf. "You couldn't have." Then, "Wait...is this also the reason you were missing that night?"

"I...fell asleep," admitted Battler. "On her couch."

"Sure," said Rudolf, smiling at his wife. "On her couch."

Beato and Battler began to have their dinner together in silence for the first few minutes until Ange spoke: "You look like that lady in the painting. Are you her?"

Beato looked over at Battler. "Sort of," she said. Then, "Battler has told me all about you. You must be Ange."

Ange nodded. "Onii-chan has been really serious lately," she said. "Is it because of you?"

Both Ange _and_ Beato were looking over at Battler in anticipation. Battler said slowly, "Well...I've been _worried_ about her..."

"Why?" said Maria. "Was Beato's condition serious?"

"Not really," said Battler, trying to find the right words. "I just didn't like seeing her suffer. When someone you care for is suffering, then _you_ tend to suffer."

"So you care about me?" said Beato hopefully.

Battler realized he had to admit it: "Yes, I do."

The adults were laughing together. "Oh, Rudolf," laughed Krauss, "looks like you have a potential daughter-in-law, ha-ha!"

"Now Krauss," said Natushi gently, "don't embarrass your nephew so—look how he's blushing! Maybe if not as a daughter-in-law, she would at least make a good girlfriend for now, a good suitor."

"Aunt Natushi," laughed Battler nervously, feeling the room suddenly getting a _lot_ hotter.

"Just remember to clean up after Battler, as _we_ have to remind him every morning," said Kyrie with a smile.

"I'm sure I will," muttered Beato, who, too, was feeling her face grow hot.

"There's a song at my school," said Ange. "I think it goes...someone and someone sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g...is that you?"

"Ange," said Rosa, "stop embarrassing your brother. _All_ of you, stop embarrassing him. It's not his fault he and Beato make such a good couple together."

"Aunt Rosa!" said Battler, horrified, now convinced everyone was out to humiliate him as much as possible.

"It's okay, Battler," said Maria. "I wouldn't mind at all if Beato joined the family; Maria would love it! Uu!"

"You...really wouldn't mind?" said Beato, looking flattered but feeling just as embarrassed as Battler.

Maria nodded enthusiastically and said, "Could I be the flower girl at your wedding?"

"Now Maria, we should wait until an actual proposal is made," laughed Rudolf. "Judging by the fact that Battler has actually brought her over to meet the family, though, it won't be that much longer until they _do_ get married!"

"Poor girl!" laughed Jessica. "Prepare for many nights of breast-groping, ha-ha!"

Blushing furiously, Battler thought, _Please shut up now. You've already said enough embarrassing things for one night, please don't say something worse like..._

"And just think," said Rudolf. "With your fiery red hair and her blonde locks, the two of you would end up producing such _handsome_ children!"

At this line, Beato coughed on her sip of water and Battler's food went down the wrong pipe and he started coughing. Beato gave him a few, quick swats on the back. He swallowed and the food went down the right way. "Ah, dad," said Battler nervously, "I think it's too early for us to be thinking about _that."_

"How come?" piped up Ange.

"Well, for one matter, I'm still in school," said Battler, glaring at his father. "And for another, Beato and I...well...we're not sure if we're ready to...ah...engage in the activity of making a baby."

"What, you're not doing that activity _already?"_ cracked Jessica.

"What activity?" asked Ange. "What do you have to do to make a baby?"

Battler and Beato's faces, which were a fair shade of pink before, had now turned the colour of the tomatoes on their dinner plates. Battler tugged at his collar and Beato looked over at the windows as though they were the most fascinating thing in the whole world.

"Ange," said Kyrie, "the dinner table is not an appropriate place to discuss that. We'll talk about it _after_ dinner, okay?"

"Or how about _never?"_ said Battler quickly. "I mean, um...not for a few years yet, Ange. You're _way_ too young to know how babies are made."

"_I_ know how Battler and Beato would make a baby," spoke up the voice of Maria. Everyone turned in her direction, including Battler and Beato who secretly hoped she still believed in the stork.

"Maria," said Rosa nervously, but Maria spoke: "Just think of it as like a jigsaw puzzle, Ange—it requires certain pieces to fit together in the right places. Kihihihi..." Clearly, she had long outgrown the stork.

"_Maria,"_ said Rosa warningly.

"Mama has a book explaining how babies are made and born," said Maria, a creepy grin spreading across her face. "Maria read it while Mama was late at work one night. She read it together with Sakutaro, who explained the more difficult parts to Maria."

Rosa turned to the rest of the family with an apologetic look on her face. Maria turned to face Battler and Beato and her eyes grew as wide as her grin. "Maria knows what you will have to do to make a baby. _Maria knows."_

And then she laughed a horrible, creepy laugh...it was far too creepy for Battler and Beato to be embarrassed over...then again, this was probably a good thing. They had enough embarrassment for one night.

* * *

_Don't get me wrong I love you  
But does that mean I have to meet your father?  
When we are older you'll understand  
What I meant when I said "No,  
I don't think life is quite that simple"_

_--"Simple and Clean", Utada Hikaru_


	18. Chapter 18

18

The sky was painted with stars that reflected brightly as Battler and Beato took a walk through the rose garden after dinner.

"Sorry about my family back there," apologized Battler. "They get a little excited over my growing up, so..."

"You don't think there could be a grain of truth in what they say about our future?" asked Beato. She sounded like she teasing, but she was also partly alarmed that Battler would consider such talk to be mere joking.

"I'm not saying _that,"_ said Battler quickly. "I'm just saying they...get carried away sometimes. That's all."

"Oh," said Beato. Then, "Battler...I don't think I ever got a chance to say this, but...thank you for bringing me back. The depression I went through was torture, but..." Her voice faded and she blinked as though she were holding back tears.

"But what?" prompted Battler.

"I...I want to go to a zoo," spoke Beato, sounding like she was trying very hard to keep herself from choking up. "I want to go on a rollercoaster. And...I want to see a movie with you."

Battler understood. He slipped his hand in Beato's and said, "Beato...if I win this game...would you like to leave Rokkenjima with me?"

"I would _like_ to," said Beato. "Doesn't mean I _can_ or _should."_

Battler stopped walking. He let go of Beato's hand and stood in front of her. "Why not?" he said. "Kinzo's gone, so he can't do anything to you now. And I'm sure that if I talked to Virgilia, she wouldn't mind. You would never have to set foot in Kuwadorian ever again."

"Even if I _did_ leave Rokkenjima, where would I go?" asked Beato. "Where would I live?"

This was something Battler had not thought of. He said the first thing that came to mind: "You could live with me. I mean, you could live with me and my parents and Ange. We have a guest room on the first floor; that could become your new room. It's too late to enrol you in any sort of school, but we could find _something_ for you to do during the day—maybe, if you want, we could get you a job somewhere, or you could help around the house."

Beato was hesitant. "Would your family really be okay with me living with them?" she said. "Would I be a burden?" She was, once again, like a bird in a cage—only this time, the bird had the opportunity to fly away, yet felt reluctant over leaving the security of their prison and out into the free world where anything could happen to them.

"Beato," said Battler, "you could never be a burden to my family. Did you see them back there? They stopped short of calling up the nearest church to book a wedding date for us long before any rings were exchanged!"

At this, Beato had to laugh. Still, she said, "But what about Teacher? I don't know if I could ever leave _her_ behind. All my life, she has been the closest thing to a mother I ever had."

"Well, you wouldn't _have_ to leave and _never_ come back," said Battler. "We could still come back to visit her every so often. Or she could come along, too, and we could make some sort of arrangement for her to stay nearby."

"I...I'm still not sure..." said Beato reluctantly.

"Are you nervous about leaving behind something you've spent your whole life on?" asked Battler.

Beato sighed, "Yes. The whole idea just seems too good to be true."

"Well, I'll figure _something _out to make it work," said Battler. "Just wait; I'll talk with my parents and see what they think of the deal."

Battler knew he was being a bit too idealistic for his own good. Of course there was no way it would all just conveniently work out. There would still be a bit of work to be done...but he would at least succeed in getting her off this island.

Assuming he won the game, that is.

* * *

Elsewhere indoors, Jessica was assigning Kanon and Shannon a very special task.

"It's very flattering of you to ask us to do this, Jessica," said Shannon, propping the violin over one shoulder. "But I have to wonder who told you I could play the violin?"

"Oh, a little birdie named Kanon told me," said Jessica innocently, playfully punching Kanon's arm. Kanon was not amused and sat down at the piano.

Jessica set up the music sheets for each of them. Shannon squinted at the notes. "Promise," she muttered. "I vaguely recall being taught that one," she said. "I'm not sure if I'd be too good at it, though..."

"Then Kanon will be enough to make up for the both of you," said Jessica firmly.

Shannon and Kanon shared a glance. When Jessica was determined to play matchmaker, she went all-out.

* * *

"I'm still not sure about this, Battler," said Beato, twirling a strand hair nervously. _"Something_ will go wrong, I just _know_ it. Your parents probably don't like me at all; they might have just been playing along for humour's sake at dinner."

"Oh, now my parents may be a pair of jokers, but they would _never_ be so cruel," said Battler with a wave of a hand. "I'm sure Ange at least would be happy to have you with us. To her, it would be just like having a big sister around the house."

Beato walked over to where Maria's rose once stood tall and proud. "Ange seems like a very nice girl," she said. "I see why you would be so protective of her."

"To say nothing of the fact that I never had the time to _really_ know her," said Battler, walking up to Beato. "I wish I had been around more when she was born, and when she was young."

"I think she might have come here a few times when she was little," said Beato. "I remember seeing a little girl with red hair looking at Maria strangely during the times we would talk together."

"Yeah, that might've been her," shrugged Battler. He turned his head at a sound. There was a faint melody playing off in the distance. It sounded like a soft tune playing on a piano coming from inside the house...a nice, romantic piano tune...

Battler chuckled and shook his head. "Jessica," he muttered.

"Battler," said Beato, placing one hand on his shoulder, "do you remember our fifth game? When you were holding me in your arms and we were almost dancing?"

"How could I forget?" said Battler, turning towards Beato. "How about we dance for real? We'll humour Jessica's little matchmaking scheme while we still can."

"I guess we could," said Beato slowly. She and Battler stepped in close and each wrapped their arms around each other—his around her waist, hers around his shoulders. A very faint violin tune was beginning to join in now...the melody was very soft and romantic, yet oddly bittersweet.

The two began to move their feet, awkwardly at first, then gradually in time together to the melody. It was almost impossible to believe this was the very spot where they had tried to kill each other with the red and the blue in the past. Now was the time to share a moment that might not have been shared...a moment that might _never_ have been shared...

Beato placed her head on Battler's shoulder and closed her eyes. The thought that she might have never had the chance to feel this happiness...the thought that she might have never been given a second chance to live her life to the fullest...the thought that she could have just wasted away...was too painful to think about. She was beginning to understand now...understand why humans found life truly precious. It helped when they had something to live for, that was for certain.

"Battler," whispered Beato, opening her eyes. "Your promises to take me off Rokkenjima are based on the assumption you're going to _win._ What will you do if you _lose?"_

The two abruptly stopped dancing. Beato was concerned; had she said something wrong? Battler looked into her eyes. He tilted her chin upward ever so slightly and said, "This is in case I do."

He then placed one hand on her face. The music was beginning to swell up now. He drew his face closer to hers...knowing what was about to happen, they both closed their eyes...

...and just like that, their lips met and the music went full-force into a soft and sweet melody, with its rises and falls, all the while making a beautiful, echoing sound. Their arms held each other close, longing to forever stay locked in this embrace. They each felt a soft shiver of excitement within. At long last, their moment had arrived...a moment that could not be tainted or corrupted by anyone else.

* * *

"Uu!" whispered Maria excitedly as she, Jessica, and Ange spied on the kissing couple in the distance. "Does this mean Beato's joining the family now?"

"Oh, we'll have to wait and see about that," said Jessica, smiling.

Ange tilted her head. "Why is onii-chan running one hand through her hair like that?"

* * *

Inside the guest house, the adults were gathered for a meeting in regards of the strange circumstances surrounding their separate invitations. Just as they were about to begin, Rudolf said, "Before we start, there's one quick issue I need to address with all of you: Has anyone seen Asumu's ring? I sometimes bring it along with me for...nostalgic purposes."

It didn't take long for the others to figure it out. They all shared a secret smile while Rudolf just stood there saying, "What?" He wondered what the inside joke was and why he wasn't part of it.

* * *

They lost track of the time, so neither truly knew how long the kiss had lasted—the sensational harmony of their lips moving together, their hands' exploration of how close they could get, the inner warmth of having their feelings reciprocated without saying a word—all of it was sheer bliss. Their lips parted naturally when the music began to fade out.

Their eyes met. They realized only now what had just happened. It had seemed too good to be true. It felt like a wonderful dream they had just woke up from. Yet they realized from the slight flush in each other's faces that they had just shared a long, passionate kiss.

Beato was the first to speak: "If...if anyone had told me just a few games ago this was where we would be now, I would've denied their existence on the spot. I can't believe...we're actually..."

Battler placed Beato's head on his chest in a manner similar to the way he had held her after the fourth game when...he chose not to think about that now. He said, "Beato...there is something I am going to tell you right now. It is the one thing that you should never need any sort of red or gold text to confirm or deny—it is the absolute truth."

He lightly kissed Beato on the head and whispered, "I love you, Beato."

Beato tried to reply to this, but felt a lump form itself in her throat. She managed to swallow it and whispered, "Battler...kun...Battler-kun..."

Beato looked up into Battler's eyes which were full of sincerity. He repeated himself: "I love you."

Beato knew he would not need any sort of text to confirm that...it was the truth. She said, "Battler-kun...I..."

The romantic moment was interrupted by rustling. Battler let go of Beato and turned around. He called out, "All right, Jessica: Show yourself. I know you're out there. And show your little spies, too."

There was a pause, giggles, then the showing of a guilty-looking Jessica who stood up together with Maria and Ange from behind their hiding place.

"Now the three of you, scat," said Battler with a wave of his hand. Ange giggled. "You too, Ange; you're too young to know of the affairs of grown-ups."

"Uu!"

"Yes, Maria, that includes you."

"Aww," sighed the three girls, who walked off back to the mansion, each looking over their shoulder to see the couple do anything else. Battler decided not to give them that pleasure and waited until after they were long gone before turning back to Beato. He laughed, "Sorry about that. We had some company back there!"

He cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, "I have done some long, hard thinking over the past week. And I have realized that when people are in love, they act really, really stupid." He laughed, "I think _that_ goes without saying."

He went back to a more serious tone: "But...well, what I'm trying to say is...from the moment I first saw your portrait, I thought you were beautiful. Well, I mean, you didn't look so beautiful when people started saying it was you behind the murders, but...okay, what I'm trying to say is...you've been my first love all along. I thought it was _Shannon_ I had a crush on, but I was wrong...it was you. I had a crush on _you!_ And now...in light of recent events...those feelings of infatuation have taken on a whole new meaning. They have grown deeper, and now, I am positive that I know what love is. And my love is you."

Beato crossed her arms and said, "What is it you're trying to say, Romeo?"

Battler realized only now how much blabbing he had been doing. He was so nervous about being shot down, he had delayed the inevitable moment he would have to ask the question. He said, "Okay...I've been trying to find the right words to say what it is I need to say...and there is no other way to say them, so here it goes."

Battler got down on one knee and pulled out a small, velvet-lined box from his pocket. He opened it and inside the box was a small, golden ring. It was not a fancy one, but it was beautiful enough by itself.

Battler looked up into Beato's eyes and forced the words to come out: "Will you marry me?"

Beato's eyes wavered, and Battler suddenly felt foolish. What was he thinking, proposing to her like this? How could he think that after all they had been through together, she would actually _accept_ his proposal? Any minute now, she was going to laugh in his face for being full of so much folly. In spite of these discouraging thoughts, Battler managed to choke out, "Well?"

"Battler-kun," said Beato softly, "I...I don't know what to say."

"Say yes," pleaded Battler. "When something happens to you, I care. When you're smiling or laughing or just plain _happy,_ I am glad. You can be a real tease at times, but I like that. So...do you feel the same way, too?"

Beato gulped. "Well," she said, "you yourself _are_ kind of fun to be around...but Battler-kun, what will we do if you lose? Then this—all this—will be in vain."

Battler said, "I think it's worth the risk, don't you?" He felt himself sweating beneath his collar. His stomach was in knots. He wondered if George ever felt this nervous when proposing to Shannon.

Beato finally said something that was even a bit satisfactory: "I'll tell you what—if you manage to catch the murderer and stop them..._and_ beat _all_ of my riddles..._then_ I will marry you. Is that a deal?"

Battler supposed it was better than a flat-out 'no'. He still had a good chance of winning. He nodded furiously. "It's a deal," he said. "In the mean time, please take this ring. I'll tell you when I have won. Then I'll slip the ring on your finger and..."

Beato nodded. She seemed to get it. She took the box out of Battler's hand, snapped it shut, and slipped it up one of her sleeves. Battler stood up to his feet, relieved to have gotten his most nerve-wrecking experience out of the way.

Beato, however, wasn't quite satisfied. She felt the night needed to get more romantic. She started to take one step further up to Battler, then conveniently tripped and fell to the ground with a cry.

"Beato?" said Battler, bending down to the ground. "Are you okay?"

"I think I might have twisted my ankle," said Beato in a frail voice. "Could you please carry me home?"

Her acting wasn't good enough to convince Battler, but it seemed Battler himself had decided the night needed more romance. He said, "Of course. Would I ever leave a defenceless lady all alone?"

He swept Beato up in his arms and stood up. He began to walk off to the forest, ignoring the giggles of Maria and Ange, who had stepped outside just for a moment.

Beato wrapped her arms around Battler's neck. She leaned her head against his chest, closed her eyes, and smiled. Her memory flew back to when she was a small girl. She remembered Teacher telling her fairy tales of handsome princes sweeping women off their feet and carrying them off to their castle. And she also remembered daydreaming about Battler doing this for her on the day he would supposedly arrive on his horse.

The real thing, however, was much, _much_ more romantic than Beato could ever have dreamed.

* * *

"Oh, Lia, Lia, Lia," sang Gaap as she peeked over Virgilia's shoulder. Virgilia, who was trying to read her book in peace, snapped it shut and said, "Yes, Gap, Gap, Gap?"

"Deus and I took a little walk through the forest," said Gaap, pacing the parlour. "And you'll never guess what we just saw."

"It's Battler, carrying Lady Beatrice home!" burst out Asmodeus.

Virgilia nearly jumped out of her seat. "Is he now?"

"Yes," sighed Asmodeus romantically. "He's carrying her in his arms, and she's asleep...it's _so romantic!"_

"Oooh!" giggled the other Stakes.

"_Someone_ is officially 'dere'," laughed Lucifer. "But if we confront her over it, she'll just go back to 'tsun'."

Just then, Ronove came in with a smile on his face. "I would assume you all know of the romantic sighting," he said. "So I ask of you all to please remain quiet and pretend you don't notice the two coming in through the door. This is their last chance to have their happiness just for them before..."

Everyone smiled at each other. They all scattered around the parlour, looking for some perfectly innocent activity to do. Soon, they heard the sound of the front doors opening which was then followed by the sound of footsteps.

"...I don't hear anyone...do you need me to carry you up the stairs?"

"Yes, please."

It was all the Stakes could do to stifle their giggles of joy. Gaap playfully punched Virgilia in the arm and whispered, "Told you so, Lia!"

Virgilia glared at Gaap, then smiled over at Ronove. They had known it would come to this. They knew that, one way or another, the two would at last overcome their pride and realize their inner feelings.

Would they be granted the bliss of enjoying those feelings with no worries, though?

* * *

"Are you _sure_ no one saw or heard us?" said Beato as Battler opened the door to her room with one hand while still holding her in the other arm. "I wouldn't put it past those Stakes to pretend they saw nothing and then tease me the next day."

"So what?" shrugged Battler, walking into the room and closing the door behind him with his foot. "Let them talk."

He walked up to the bed and lay Beato down onto the golden blankets, soft and warm. He gently slid her boots off each foot. He then slipped off his own shoes and climbed into bed, sitting up just above her.

Battler slid his hand into Beato's, helping her sit up. They closed their eyes, leaned in, and their lips met again. They had not planned on this, but in the spur of the moment, this was what they felt they had to do.

Battler's hands reached around to the back of Beato's head. With careful work, still not separating, he undid the bun, and then the braid. He ran one hand through her long, blonde hair, helping it fall down her back. His hands moved from her hair to the edges of her jacket, which he slipped right off her shoulders until it fell onto the bed.

Still caught up in the heat of the moment, Beato's hands moved over to Battler's jacket. With the help of him gently shrugging his shoulders, she slipped it off and it, too, fell to the bed. Their hands began to move to the others' vests...

Then they separated. Part of the reason was to break for oxygen...but the other reason was to look into each other's eyes and realize what exactly it was that they were about to do. They longed to take this night and claim it just for them. They longed to toss aside all worries of what any consequences resulting from sharing a night together may be, and just dive right in.

But one look into each other's eyes, and they knew what the other was thinking: _Too much is at stake already. We can't risk increasing the pain of losing each other even further than we already have._

And they were right—this was as intimate as they could get until it was all over. They sighed and looked away awkwardly. Then, they turned back. "Beato," spoke Battler, "I hope you realize that you can't leave this place tomorrow morning, nor can I visit you. If your earlier assumption was correct, and Bernkastel is indeed plotting an ambush, it is not safe for you to leave."

"I know," nodded Beato. "Teacher and I already had this talk. Until she finds out the game results, I am not allowed to leave. Tomorrow morning, she will put up a magic field around Kuwadorian to prevent anyone from attacking it."

"Ah," said Battler. "She's one step ahead of me." Then, "So...I guess that until further notice, this is goodbye. But I'm sure I'll win," he said quickly. "Just you wait." He was beginning to think that maybe, just in case something went wrong, it wouldn't be a bad idea after all...

No. They couldn't risk it. Not now.

But they could still have a bittersweet moment of tenderness...one last kiss...and then he would be gone.

Battler and Beato leaned in and shared their last kiss for the night, their arms holding each other as close as they could. It did not go further than kissing, but there was still plenty of passion, still a burning flame. They longed to stay just like this for the entire night...but Battler would have to leave eventually.

They hung on for as long as they could before finally separating. Their faces were flushed from passion and anticipation of what tomorrow would bring. Battler gave Beato a tight hug and one last kiss on the forehead before slipping his jacket back on, getting up off the bed and slipping his shoes back on. "Goodbye, Beato," he said. He wanted to say more, but instead, he walked over to the door. He had placed one hand on the knob when Beato called out, "Battler-kun."

Battler turned around. Beato hesitated before saying, "Goodbye, Battler."

And with that, Battler turned to the door, opened it, walked out, and closed it behind him, allowing for one last glimpse of Beato's face before leaving.

* * *

"This feeling sure is strange, Teacher," muttered Beato as Virgilia brushed her hair later that night. She had changed into her nightgown and was about to turn in, but had far too much on her mind to even dream of sleeping. "When I'm around him, I feel like somehow, everything is all right. Then when he leaves, I have this feeling that can only be described as...well..."

"Emptiness?" finished Virgilia.

Beato nodded. "What's come over me, Teacher? This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to guide him to the truth...not fall in love with him."

"Well, love is a fickle emotion," sighed Virgilia. "It can be the best feeling in the world, but it can also be the most painful feeling in the world. If it weren't so complicated, it would not be the inspiration for many comedies and tragedies."

"Right now, this feels like a sick, twisted comedy," scoffed Beato. "To realize how I feel for him, to think he might never feel the same way, only to learn that he _does_ feel the same...then to be unable to return those feelings in words...and learn I might never see him again. How hilarious. How _painfully_ hilarious."

Virgilia lay the brush down on the nightstand. "Beato," she said, "be honest: Even if Battler never solves your riddles, even if he loses this game and everyone in his family is slaughtered without him ever knowing the truth...would you still accept his proposal?"

Beato nodded. "I just hope he now has something to fight for," she said. "And I hope I motivate him even stronger to win."

* * *

Tomorrow would bring many uncertainties. It would be a day of judgment...would this be the day of Battler's ultimate victory?

Or of his most devastating loss?

* * *

_Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance_

_Another heartache, another failed romance_

_On and on_

_Does anybody know what we are living for?_

_--"The Show Must Go On", Queen_


	19. Chapter 19

19

"Battler-kun! Time to get up!"

Battler opened up his eyes and turned away from the glaring sun. He groaned and sat up straight. Kyrie was standing above him saying, "Eva, Hideyoshi, and George are arriving in the afternoon. We have to get ready to greet them."

_Today is October fourth. My time has nearly run out._

"Give me a minute, okay Kyrie?" muttered Battler. He remembered with a start...his proposal to Beato...she had agreed to marry him on the condition that he solve all of her riddles _and_ the current mystery-to-be. And he was only a few steps into figuring it all out. A few steps was better than no steps at all.

But it wasn't enough.

* * *

"Figured it out yet, Bat-t-ler?" teased Lambdadelta in the meta-world. Battler no longer swaggered with a certain amount of arrogance and pride. Now he sat slumped over in his chair, feeling defeated.

"I...I'm getting there," muttered Battler.

"If I didn't know any better, I would come to the conclusion that our high and mighty Endless Sorcerer is in love," drawled Erika. "Have a special girl on your mind?"

Battler shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I see," nodded Bernkastel. "You've fallen in love with the former Endless Witch, haven't you? This is just like a comedy—two rivals realize their long-held feelings for one another too late, for at that point they can no longer risk—"

"Bernkastel," said Virgilia sharply. "This is a tad cruel even by _your_ standards."

"That's saying a lot, considering _your_ moral standards," scoffed Lambdadelta.

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes," blurted out Battler without thinking. "I'm sure that whatever Virgilia may have done in the past can be forgiven for."

"And do you even _know_ of her past?" asked Bernkastel. "You don't seriously think her worst sin was taking the entire cookie jar for herself, do you?"

"Bernkastel," said Virgilia warningly.

"I have to wonder, though," said Bernkastel, pouring herself a cup of tea, "what would make you be so quick to say 'everyone makes mistakes' in regards to Virgilia? Do you even _know_ what her sin is? If so, then please—tell us what you think."

"Don't listen to what she says, Battler," said Virgilia quickly. "She has no idea what she's talking about."

"On the contrary," said Bernkastel, bringing her teacup to her lips, "I know _precisely_ what I'm talking about. Even Lady Lambdadelta and Erika know what I'm talking about."

Virgilia was trembling. She said quietly, "Who told you?"

"Well, it turns out that your dear old friend Dlanor A. Knox is not quite the 'friend' you thought her to be," smirked Erika. She then pulled out the five-page document from underneath her chair and said, "She was sworn not to _breathe_ a word of it, but your downfall was not forbidding her from _writing _a word of it. These pages contain the graphic detail you told her of your sin. I wonder if Battler would appreciate it as a present? Or better yet, would _Beato_ enjoy it?"

Virgilia slammed her hands down on the table and cried out, _"How dare you?!?"_ At almost the exact same time, Battler jumped out of his seat and said, "Erika, don't do this. I don't need to know Virgilia's sin and Beato doesn't need to know, either. This can remain a secret between the four of you."

Virgilia gave Battler a thankful smile. Bernkastel crushed that smile by saying, "If you are so sure you don't need to know her sin, then why don't you tell us what you _think_ her sin is? Do that, and neither you nor Beato will ever see this document. But if you would rather find out for yourself if your guess is correct..."

"I'll tell you," said Battler quickly. "And I'll do it without any sort of coloured text, not blue, not red, and not gold." He looked over at Virgilia, then to the three witches sitting across the room. He said, "Well...I think that as time went on_, _Virgilia began to desire a child of her own, but she did not have the man to make one with and she was too proud to ask Kinzo if she could adopt a child from his orphanage. And so when the Lombardi's announced they were going to have a baby, she grew envious and decided to take their child from them. First, she killed Beato's father in a gunfight and somehow convinced Kinzo to take the blame himself; then she waited for Beato to be born and killed her mother, either by strangling or suffocation. That way, it would look like she died in childbirth. And that is her sin—killing Beato's parents out of envy that she could not have a child, and so she took their child from them."

When Battler was done, the meta-world went dead silent. He wondered if this was because he had been right and everyone was shocked he had figured out the truth...or because he had been wrong and they were rendered silent by the promise that Bernkastel would not show him the documents if he went ahead and guessed.

Battler nearly jumped when Virgilia placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Lambdadelta to giggle. Virgilia looked into Battler's eyes. Her own eyes showed no emotion, as though she were holding any signs of emotion back so she wouldn't give herself away.

"Battler," she spoke, "I think it is time for us to leave. The game is just about ready to begin. But before we do, I am going to tell you this much...I did what I thought was right. But it was far from being the right thing to do. And with that, this is the last time we will speak before the game. It has been a pleasure to guide you along the path to the truth."

Virgilia left in a burst of gold. Battler turned to the other witches. "You heard her," he said. "Let the game begin."

* * *

Battler was silent and morose when he and his family greeted Eva, Hideyoshi, and George at the docks. To be a Game Master was one thing. To be both a Game Master _and_ a piece was miserable. His family was about to suffer at his hands unless he did something.

'_Hey, look on the bright side,'_ he told himself. _At least you know Eva, Hideyoshi, and George didn't do it. That's a start, right?_

"My how you've _grown,_ Battler-kun!" exclaimed Eva. "You were just a tiny little boy the last time I saw you!"

"Oh, but he's a man now," said Rudolf proudly. "He has a new girlfriend."

"Dad," muttered Battler, but Hideyoshi went, "Oh? Do we know this new girlfriend of yours, Battler? I'm sure she's very pretty."

"She is, at least, the type of girl who would make for an _excellent_ wife!" boomed Krauss.

"Now, Krauss, we only just met her last night," said Natsuhi. "Battler, you wouldn't mind bringing her over for just a few minutes to introduce to the rest of the family, now would you?"

Battler let out a weary sigh. "She can't come out today. It isn't...convenient."

"Let me guess," said Jessica, "it's her time of month, right? Oh wait, she's finally starting to wise up?"

"Shut it, Jessica," said Battler sharply. He was not in the mood for jokes. He stormed off the docks, leaving behind a stunned Jessica and a confused George who only said, "Nice to meet you!"

* * *

Beato lay in bed hugging her doll tightly. She would've cried if she had the energy, but she lacked both the energy and the will to do so. So much had gone wrong in her life...and now, just when something was starting to go _right,_ a horrible circumstance had ruined it.

She rolled over, silently cursing herself for playing right into Bernkastel's trap. If only she had turned down that offer...if only she had realized neither Bernkastel nor Lambdadelta were really on her side at all, but were in fact just using her as their latest toy...then maybe all this would've been averted.

She closed her eyes, remembering all too strongly her feelings of depression in the fifth game. She had every opportunity to lay out more than one riddle for Battler, but ultimately decided it was all useless. Her only purpose was to serve as Lambdadelta's plaything. Even if she won, she would've had nowhere to go except death. What was the good in playing with Battler if she was going to be forever shackled to a game of misery, with no hope of ever escaping the island and doing all the things she longed to do?

She remembered waking up after the fourth game. After waking up, she still felt the pain from those blue wedges piercing through her body. Only, it wasn't a sharp, piercing kind of pain. It was like a dull throbbing...knowing there was pain, but not truly feeling it. The dull pain she felt was the only indication she was even alive...emotionally, she felt dead. With the discovery that she may never break free from an eternal game, came the destruction of all happiness within her. If she was going to remain trapped for all eternity, then what was the use in smiling? What was the use in being happy?

She remembered being unable to even move a finger...how the various attempts to reach out to her had been mostly in vain as she only heard half the things people were telling her...how Battler had been there...

"Battler-kun," Beato whispered softly, hugging the doll even tighter. She heard the door opening and closing. She could tell it was Teacher.

"Beato," spoke Virgilia, walking up to the bed, "I know the heartache you must be feeling right now. But," she sat down on the bed, "I think Battler has a very good chance of winning. I can guarantee he just might figure out the truth by tonight."

"How do you know that for certain?" muttered Beato.

"Because...he is very good at coming up with theories," said Virgilia. "Even if he is off the mark at times. But only ever so slightly."

Beato could almost swear Virgilia sounded like she was talking about something else. She decided not to mention this and said, "I'm glad he broke me free...free from that prison. In a way, I guess he _was_ kind of like a prince come to rescue me...no, I can't think like that. That's too..."

"The two of you are already in a relationship of sorts," said Virgilia. "There's no harm in romanticizing it just a bit. And even if he loses, you at least had the pleasure of being with him. You have to admit it _was_ better than the usual loneliness, no?"

"I guess you have a point," said Beato slowly. Then, "So what am I supposed to do while waiting around for Battler to win?"

"I'm sure Gaap and the Stakes would be most grateful to spend some time with you," said Virgilia. She hesitated before saying, "Beato...there's something you need to know. Something I should've told you a long time ago. It's about your—"

Virgilia was interrupted by the door bursting open and Gaap pouring through with the Stakes, all of whom were dressed up in clown-like costumes and make-up (Lucifer being the sole exception, as something so degrading was beneath her) , collapsing to the floor. Gaap looked up and said meekly, "Uh...it's a long story..."

"Never mind," sighed Virgilia, standing up. "I don't want to know. Anyway...your parents loved you very much, Beato. They only wanted the best for you. They would've loved to have someone like Battler for a son-in-law. That is what I wanted to tell you."

"Oh," said Beato, sitting up in bed. "Okay. Well...I guess I'll be okay with these clowns."

"Who are you calling a clown?" said Lucifer confrontationally. "I'm the only one not subjected to such...such..."

Virgilia smiled and headed off, silently thanking Gaap for that totally random intervention. She had almost lost her head for a minute—she had thought telling Beato the truth in her state was actually a good idea. Now, she had come to her senses and realized that sometimes, ignorance was a true luxury seldom few could afford.

* * *

"What was up with your behaviour at the docks, young man?" said Rudolf sternly. He and Battler were alone in the guest house while everyone else went down to the beach.

"Sorry, dad," muttered Battler. "Something happened last night, and...well..."

"Come now, you can tell your old man what happened last night," said Rudolf, his tone warm and friendly. "When you came into the guest house last night after Beato left, you just about fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow. Now what's wrong—is she acting all moody? Because that's just how women are during a certain time of the month."

"No dad, she was being herself," sighed Battler, walking over to the bed.

Suddenly concerned, Rudolf said, "You didn't get her pregnant, did you?"

"_No, _of course not," said Battler quickly. "We haven't even...never mind."

"I know: You proposed to her and she shot you down," joked Rudolf. He started laughing...then abruptly stopped when his son did not laugh along and instead just sat down on the bed with his head in his hands. "Asumu's ring," said Rudolf slowly. "Son, you didn't..."

"I did," muttered Battler, lying down on the bed. "And she'll only marry me on one condition."

"Ah, what did I tell you?" said Rudolf, smiling. "Women can be highly demanding at times. All right, what's the catch? Maybe I can help you out."

Battler tried to find the right words to describe it: "She...set out this riddle for me and I need to solve it...before midnight. And if I don't solve it by midnight, she won't marry me."

At this, Rudolf burst out laughing, to the great annoyance of Battler. "Looks like you have a regular Portia on your hands!" he laughed. "Well, son, just tell me what this riddle is and maybe I can help you solve it. She doesn't ever have to know you needed your old man's help; it'll be just between the two of us."

Battler knew he couldn't tell his father the _real_ riddle, or even a metaphor for the riddle in case he was the murderer. Instead, he spoke the first riddle that came to mind: "Okay, um...what's round on the ends and high in the middle?"

"Ohio, son," laughed Rudolf. "That's a state in the United States of America! That one's obvious!"

"Right," said Battler. "Well, the other condition is that I beat her in a game of chess. So, uh...I guess that maybe I could call her up and tell her I solved the riddle and then maybe play a game with her?"

Rudolf laughed and said, "Oh, women are very high demanding these days."

"You have no idea," muttered Battler.

* * *

The day pressed on. Battler tried to concentrate on the mystery and figure out whom among his relatives would want everyone dead. However, he could not get Beato off his mind. Tried as he might, he could not forget that face, or that laugh...or that smile...or her deal with him...

_Looks like Beato and I are never getting married at this rate, _thought Battler at the dinner table that evening. _Oh well. It was worth a shot. Who am I kidding...she'd never want to marry me anyway. The only reason she made that deal was because she actually despises me and was just setting me up for a cruel joke. Even if I do win this game, she'll probably just laugh in my face._

"Why so sullen, Battler-kun?" said Kyrie. "Are you thinking about that girl?"

"He's thinking about his fiancée, that's who he's thinking about," laughed Rudolf.

"Dad," muttered Battler, ignoring the gasps and stares from across the table.

"Uu! Beato _is_ joining the family after all?" cried out an excited Maria.

"I'm getting a big sister?" said Ange hopefully.

"Not yet," sighed Battler. "Not _yet._ We still have a long ways to go before..."

"Rudolf," said Eva with a callous smirk, "your son did not happen to get some poor girl on this island into a bit of _trouble,_ now did he?"

"Of course not," said Rudolf quickly. "He's young and love...we all are, right?"

Battler noticed Jessica sharing a brief glance with Kanon, then saw George smiling at Shannon who smiled back. He sighed, "Yes dad, we're all in love."

It was just about time for Maria to read the letter out loud. Not that he cared...he just stared off into space as Maria spoke the words of doom...

* * *

Beato lay on the edge of the bed. She had changed into her classical gown and had her hair done up, fully prepared in case Teacher came back from the meta-world ready to report Battler's success...

"Funny how the rules can be broken now, Aiko," Beato said to her doll. "Only the pieces could be moved on the game board. One's meta-existence could not merge together with their piece-existence...Battler sure did bend the rules a lot, didn't he, Aiko? Especially for me."

Beato ran one hand through the doll's blonde curls. She remembered her talk with Maria that day she came to visit...Maria had given this doll an actual soul...a soul that she took home with her, prepared to use in case of any danger.

_Battler got this doll just for me. He could've given it away to Ange or Maria...but he gave it to me...just for me...what am I doing here? What if something comes up and Teacher never returns? Or what if she takes hours returning and I just sit here in agony? No, I can't just stay here and wait...I have to leave. I have to sneak out of here and find out if Battler really has reached the truth._

This in mind, Beato placed the doll onto the nightstand. She got up off the bed and briefly thought up of a way to get out...there was the secret passage in the basement. She could use that to sneak around the magic barrier and get out on the other side. Then she could sneak to wherever she suspected the murders would take place and...

Beato briefly shuddered. Going down to the basement would mean having to face old memories of a pair of hands gripped around her arms tightly...the sound of bones breaking...the cold, hard cement floor...

_No,_ Beato firmly resolved, making her way to the door. _I can't back down now. I have to face my fears and fight for Battler's sake. I have to be there myself...see if he is truly competent._

* * *

_Well, I tried,_ Battler thought as he and his cousins and sister got prepared for bed, staying up just a few minutes longer to talk. _I can at least say I tried...who am I kidding, I didn't even try today. It's useless, it's all useless. Maria has already read the invitation...George has already proposed to Shannon...I'm sorry, Beato. I'm sorry I'm so incompetent._

"Onii-chan," said Ange, "are you really getting married to Beato?"

"At this rate," muttered Battler, "I don't think I ever will."

"Uu," whimpered Maria. "I like Beato."

"I know _you_ do, Maria," said Battler, lightly patting her on the head. "But I don't think _she_ likes _me."_

"Then what was up with that kiss last night, huh?" said Jessica. "Somehow, I can't imagine her returning your kiss if she didn't really love you."

"While I know nothing of the situation myself," said George, "I can assure you that if she truly loves you, she will want to marry you no matter what."

"Who are you to talk?" muttered Battler, collapsing onto the bed.

"Actually," said George, "Shannon and I...we have a bit of a 'thing' for each other."

"Do you?!?" gasped Ange.

"Uu, yes," nodded Maria. "George and Shannon are always together."

"Well, that's love for you," laughed George. "Nothing is impossible when you're in love, be it love between two partners, a parent-child love, or even a simple friendship love."

_That...is...it._

Battler sat up in bed with a start. That was it! Of course! Everything came to him in a flash...it was just like that moment in the chapel...only instead of the bare minimum facts being laid out for him...he had figured it all out. He knew...he realized the truth...he had won. And now, he had a good idea as to where the first murders were about to take place.

But if he didn't get out of there _soon,_ those soon-to-be murders would become a reality.

"Everyone," said Battler, standing up, "before we all go to bed, there is something I have to take care of."

"Onii-chan," Ange began to say, but Battler said, "You have to stay here, Ange. _All_ of you must stay here. If I'm not back by midnight, search for me."

As he ran off, Jessica smiled. "I think I know what it is he needs to take care of," she said.

"What?" said Ange.

"You're too young to know, Ange," said Jessica with the same smile on her face. "All I'm going to say is, it's something he needs to do in the bathroom with a magazine..."

* * *

Battler ran across the rose garden, feeling his heart beating faster and faster. At last, he had figured out everything! Now if he hurried fast enough, he just might save at least one life...

"Going somewhere, Ushiromiya Battler?"

Standing right in Battler's path was a smug Erika Furudo.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Yep, in this chapter you find out whodunnit, howdunnit, and whydunnit. The who and why were easy enough, but the how was a bit difficult. I have tried my best to ensure the solution pertains to the red text as much as possible; any mistakes made are my own and my beta-reader should not be held responsible in any way. If there is anything inaccurate or inconsistent about my solution, please let me know and maybe it won't be too late for me to go back and fix it.**

* * *

20

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The wind howled softly as the two stood eye-to-eye, wondering what move to make next.

"Figured it out, have you?" sneered Erika. "Took you long enough!"

Battler looked into those cruel, blue eyes. "You've known all along, haven't you?"

"Yet another fact that took you too long to figure out," sighed Erika, looking bored.

"Then...why..."

"Because to come up with the evidence to prove the real culprit's identity would be exceedingly difficult. To prove another person was the culprit..._that_ would be a true accomplishment, don't you agree?"

Battler wasn't sure how much time he had left. "Erika," he said calmly, "step out of the way. I don't have much time left before..."

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that," said Erika, smirking. "If I did _that,_ then I would be admitting to my own loss."

"Erika, innocent lives are at stake," said Battler, trying to think of a good spell to get her out of the way.

"You really think after all this time, I _care_ about innocent lives?" laughed Erika. "You know what I did after your beloved Beato was torn to pieces? I _laughed._ And do you know what made me laugh even harder? The fact that _you_ were the one responsible for her misery in the first place!"

Erika threw her head back and laughed. Before Battler could stop himself, he swung a fist straight into her face and it knocked her right down. He had forgotten of the immense power that came with being the Endless Sorcerer, for his punch had not only knocked Erika _down,_ it had knocked her five feet away.

Deciding not to stick around to see if she was unconscious, Battler darted off into the darkness, hoping he was not too late.

* * *

Beato crept silently through the forest. The chapel was within sight. Her only question was, will _Battler_ be within sight soon enough? Or would he arrive one minute too late?

Then the seven people came within sight—Krauss, Natsuhi, Eva, Hideyoshi, Rudolf, Kyrie, and Rosa. They were talking about the letter Maria had read out loud at the dinner table, one of them carrying a tray full of goodies...yet no Battler in sight. Where was he? It was about to happen...it was about to take place...and he had yet to show his face...

"Excuse me."

Beato let out a slight gasp when Battler came merrily strolling up to the seven as though he had been out taking a nice, evening walk and just happened to stumble across the adults. Had he figured it out?

"Battler?" said Kyrie, surprised. "What are you doing outside at this time of night? I thought you and your cousins would be asleep by now."

"Yes," said Rosa. "That's what I thought, too. That Maria can be a real handle, sometimes—why don't you go back and make sure she's fast asleep, hmm?"

"Oh, but she is," said Battler, keeping himself absolutely calm and collected. "In fact, all the other cousins went to sleep a while ago. I'm the only one still up. Well, anyway, I could not get to sleep, so I decided to take a little walk and visit this chapel—find out if it really is haunted or not. I think it's a bunch of crap myself. What do you guys think? Are you just about ready to go in and find out?"

"Yes, now that you mention it," said Rudolf. "We were all just about to go in and prepare a surprise Halloween party for Maria tomorrow morning. We even brought along some treats, would you like to try some?"

"Ah, no thank you," said Battler quickly.

"Battler-kun," said Rosa, "it really is late. You should go back to sleep with your cousins. You'll see the party for yourself in the morning."

"No, Aunt Rosa," said Battler, walking right up to Rosa. "I think I had better stay and see what happens. Don't you think? There's really no reason for me not to unless you were planning to play some sort of prank on them...but you would _never_ do something like _that,_ now would you?"

"He knows," whispered Beato. "He figured it out."

Rosa looked around from her siblings to her nephew before finally saying, "You know."

"Yes, Aunt Rosa," nodded Battler. "I know everything."

Rosa smiled. "In that case," she said, "why don't you take a cookie from here?"

Battler looked at the pile of cookies and candy in the tray before looking into Rosa's eyes. "I am sorry, but I cannot take one of these."

"Why not?" said Rosa, who began to take up a cookie and neared it towards his mouth. "I thought you _loved_ cookies, Battler-kun. "

"Yes, but I'm not hungry," said Battler quickly, taking a few steps back, then stopping when he realized he was right up against a tree.

"Please," said Rosa, grinning maliciously, a wild, crazy look in her eyes setting in as she drew nearer with the cookie in hand. "Have a cookie...I insist..."

"Rosa," laughed Rudolf, gently pushing Rosa away from Battler, "if my son says he doesn't want a cookie, then he doesn't want a cookie! Don't try to force feed him! I, on the other hand, would _love_ to try just a sample or two."

Rosa's face reverted to normal. She smiled and began to hand the cookie over to Rudolf, only for Battler to cry out, _"DAD, NOOOOOO!"_

"What's gotten over you, son?" said Rudolf, looking over at his son curiously as he took the cookie in one hand.

"Uh...the cookies are evil?" said Battler, feeling very, very foolish. He had to stop this...but how? He didn't want anyone to realize Rosa's true intentions...he realized then that maybe he could just alter their memories if he tried...it was worth giving it a shot...or possibly even just knock them out like he did with Erika...

"Nice try, son," laughed Rudolf. He began to pull the cookie to his lips...

Battler had no idea what he was doing, but somehow, he managed to let his magic powers show themselves—with a loud _BOOM_ he knocked over six of the remaining adults and rendered each of them unconscious before Rudolf had a chance to even take a bite out of the cookie of evil.

Rosa was astonished by what Battler had done...then she dropped the candies and cookies and fell to the ground in tears. Sobs shook her body and she managed to choke out, "H—how did...how..."

"Rosa," said Battler, "you said it yourself just a few days ago—it's difficult raising a child alone. And it's especially difficult when your own company isn't as successful as you had hoped. If you hadn't received those anonymous invitations from Kinzo, you would've gone to the trouble of inviting everyone here yourself, wouldn't you? And you would not have had just _one_ plan to kill everyone, you would've had _several._ You just needed to decide which plan you liked the best.

"First and foremost, your main idea was to take advantage of the legend surrounding Beatrice and use that to base the murders upon. That way, the idea that some sort of supernatural force was behind it all could have been used as a red herring! You were counting on everyone in the family to hold a deep trust for each other—a trust so deep, that they would refuse to believe someone in their own family or even their own household was a murderer, and would be forced to believe it was more than likely a witch did it! A witch _has_ been existing all this time...and she did not need the murders to make herself complete. No, she had the power on her own to make herself shown. Yes, a witch has existed...but _no, she did not commit the murders!_

"One of your many plans, for instance, may have been to lure those whom you suspected would be most likely to inherit the Ushiromiya fortune first. Your suspicions would be susceptible to change, but ultimately, you ended up suspecting Rudolf, Kyrie, and Krauss! Then, you killed any servants who may have been on duty that night—Gohda and Shannon. _But_ there was a fatal flaw to your plan...a witness. While Eva did not approve of whom her son had fallen in love with, she still wanted him to be happy. For this reason, she was furious to see you kill the woman who would make her son happy. And so she was the one to turn the knife on you. In a vain hope of keeping all corpses' identities unidentifiable, she tore up each of their faces and dragged them out to the shack.

"However, there was yet another witness: Kanon. Kanon came to the wrong conclusion that it was Eva who killed _all_ of those six, his sister included. Knowing this, he confronted Eva, then stabbed her through the forehead. After that, he snuck into their bathroom and stabbed Hideyoshi through the forehead in case he had been listening. He made it _look_ as though it was a locked room with the chain, _but the room was never locked to begin with._ It was all just an elaborate procedure to through everyone off track. The envelope slipped under the door was also an elaborate trick—again, part of the plan to make everyone think Beatrice was the culprit.

"The case with Kinzo has already been explained—he died peacefully, and his corpse was disposed of in the incinerator. So let us move on to Kanon's death...Kanon feared Kumasawa had seen right through his closed door trick and lured her down to the basement with the intent to kill her with a hatchet, but she saw right through his plan, grabbed the nearest weapon she could find, and plunged it through his heart!

"But it was not deep enough of a wound to kill him. Knowing this, Kanon played dead. By this stage, Kanon had been driven mad with suspicion and became convinced everyone was out to get him. Once he was left alone—in other words, after Jessica had already left, too emotionally distraught to tell if he was alive or dead, and after Dr. Nanjo left—he got up and hid in the study. But before he did this, he told Dr. Nanjo to slip an envelope onto the table when no one was looking, not telling him what it was or what it contained. Then, when the four adults came in later, he prepared to kill. This was the first and only time Beatrice intervened—she silently approached Kanon and told him not to lay a hand on the child and that she would deal with her herself. Then she told Maria to look away and sing a song while Kanon proceeded to be consumed with wrath and insanity, killing the three servants before hiding behind one of the curtains. Because we were all shocked by the bodies, none of us noticed.

"And as Beatrice asked Maria to face the wall...she told her this was so she would never know. And this...was good on Maria's behalf, for as Kanon began to kill off each servant in a violent struggle, he cried out about how he had seen Eva murder Rosa...and then figured out too late it was Rosa who had done the killing. She was doing a good thing for Maria...blinding her eyes and deafening her ears to an otherwise horrible truth. However, it was only as Beatrice was escaping that Natsuhi began to see Kanon. Kanon came prepared and used one of the spare shotguns to shoot and kill Natsuhi. This explains the first game."

Rosa had no idea what Battler was talking about. Yet she made it clear from her trembling she would not dare to talk back.

"Now we move on to the second game," said Battler, now on a roll. "No, on second thought, let us skip right to the third game—again, we are going from the point-of-view that you intended to originally kill of those who threatened your chance at inheriting the family fortune. In this case, you thought it was primarily the servants—Shannon, Kanon, Genji, Gohda, and Kumasawa. First, you killed Kanon, Shannon, and Genji by slashing open each of their chests, and you discovered Kinzo's body a short while later. From there, you quietly snuck into the kitchen and stabbed Gohda through the back. Finally, you finished off Kumasawa—of course, that crazy battle between Beatrice and Virgilia never really happened; it was all staged to throw me off track! I mean, sure, Virgilia exists, but her true role was restricted to helping Beatrice guide me to the truth. Furthermore, Kumasawa was the original Beatrice—the Beatrice Kinzo loved but could not marry. She passed down the title to her disciple, who is now Virgilia, in hopes of making Kinzo forget her, then found another young woman whose memories she erased and...anyway, back to the mystery: One by one, you hid each of their bodies in various rooms throughout the mansion, then you went back and hid each key in each pocket as you went through each room until finally, after hiding the key to the chapel in Kinzo's pocket—you didn't exactly go in the same order in which all the corpses were found—you escaped through the door leading out to the garden!

"Later, after Aunt Eva solved the epitaph and you found her, the two of you had a little chat and it turned out she saw you moving one of the bodies. She tried to blackmail you into keeping quiet, but then Maria ran outside and heard everything, so then Eva strangled Maria and then slammed your head right through the fence. Hideyoshi defended her with the alibi that she was inside the house while this was happening. But any scene narrated by Beato can't exactly be taken to face value, now can it? Therefore, Eva was _not_ inside the house the entire time!

"From that point on, Eva's sanity began to slip up, due to her split personality complex. She took over your role in murdering the others—she followed Kyrie and Rudolf and shot them both after Kyrie accidentally shot Dr. Nanjo, thinking _he_ was the murderer. She killed the next person coming through the door, not realizing it was her husband until it was too late. And thus, she dived into insanity even further, nearly blinding Jessica. Eva was under my supervision the entire time, true, _but_ she pulled off a series of moves that I didn't even have time to comprehend, which was the reason I could not stop her from going on a rampage and shooting George, Jessica, then finally me. By the time I had figured it all out, it was too late...and thus, another tragedy was born.

"Now let us consider the fourth game. This one is a bit more complicated...again, you were out to kill those who threatened your position as the heir. So you lured the remaining servants and family members excluding the children into the dining room and managed to kill only five people. Krauss avenged his wife by getting into a struggle with you and ending up killing you with your own gun. Overcome with grief, he then went on a spree and killed all the remaining relatives and servants whom he believed to be responsible for the death of his wife. He also tried luring Jessica into the revenge plot by getting her and George outside, _but_ they were accidentally killed by Kyrie in a moment of self-defence.

"Meanwhile, we took Kumasawa and Gohda to the storehouse with the intent to protect them...but then later on, Kyrie tricked the servants into letting her inside and she killed them, once again driven mad by suspicion. Come to think of it, suspicion seems to have been a primary cause for tragedy, hasn't it? Suspicion and madness come together hand in hand...well anyway, Maria's death was an accident—she drank poison intended for one of the other victims. And as for me, Kyrie and I accidentally killed each other when we faced off in a duel.

"Last but not least, let us go back to the second game, _but_ we will start in reverse order with each of the murders: The last of us to die were Maria, me, and you. Back then, I had almost solved the case. I was just about ready to crack everything wide open. But then...I let my guard down, and I let it down _badly. _I just didn't want us to suspect each other anymore, and so I admitted defeat. But never again. Allow me to repeat—Beatrice exists, but she did not cause the murders! As part of our game, she was a mere showman forced to carry out the role in which she was cast...a role that was cast by Bernkastel, by Lambdadelta, and by me.

"Anyway, after I suspected you and declared my suspicions right in front of Maria, I left the room to have a drink. You then took Maria outside and told her to get the gold. You took advantage of this opportunity to trick Genji into luring me upstairs, then killing us both. Damn you, Beatrice; I did _not_ need for you to take me to your magic world and...on second thought, you don't want to know. You had planned on escaping with Maria by swimming back to shore, but the gold was too heavy—the two of you sank to the bottom and drowned.

"Earlier, after killing George, Shannon, and Gohda upon discovering them breaking into the chapel and fearing they would somehow discover what you had done, you moved each of their bodies. You moved George and Shannon's bodies to Natushi's room, then Gohda's body elsewhere.

"And let's not forget the murders of Jessica and Kanon...you could not commit those murders yourself because you were in the parlour the entire time. Therefore, you bribed a desperate Dr. Nanjo into assisting you carry out their murders. He had one of the master keys which he used to open the door to Jessica's room, kill her, and then kill Kanon. His body was dumped out the window, which was why he was never found. Then you killed Dr. Nanjo when his conscious settled in and he threatened to expose everything...and then you killed Kumasawa when she happened to witness it!

"Last but not least, there is the murder of the six in the chapel. Once again, we have a locked-room mystery where the door was never locked to begin with—you convinced Genji to pretend it was locked by telling him it was just a harmless prank. But when the doors opened, it was revealed to be anything _but_ a harmless prank...because you killed all the family members who would stand in the way of the family fortune for you by sneaking into the kitchen and planting tiny little plastic bombs into the cookies and candies. Believe me, _I_ thought it was pretty stupid myself—but just about anyone with even vague bomb expertise can create tiny little bombs powerful enough to explode when exposed to digestive enzymes. That would include you, wouldn't it? And that was what you were about to do, wasn't it? And you would not have escaped...you would have stood there, and looked them cruelly in the eye as they realized what was happening too late."

Battler, having exhausted all information he had found out, looked into the eyes of Rosa. Reflected in them was not the gaze of a monster...it was the gaze of a human being...a human being who had been driven to the brink of insanity by years of resentment from her own family...

"I...I'm not sure what you meant by all that just now," said Rosa slowly. She bowed her head in shame. "But yes...you caught me. Yes, I was planning to murder them just now. I just...wanted to give Maria the Halloween party I never gave her. I always wanted her to have the best."

Her voice began to choke up, but she forced herself to carry on: "I don't think her father and I ever really loved each other...we made a few mistakes along the way. One of those mistakes was...Maria. It was more his mistake than mine...he convinced me that a baby would make everything all right. Our relationship was on the rocks, and I didn't want a baby, but he told me that if I had his baby...if I married him, then...then we would be all right. We would be a little family. And so I...I wasted perfectly good money on the most beautiful, extravagant dress I could find that was within my budget...I booked the nicest chapel in town...I hired the best caterer...and he never came. I _waited_ at the altar for nearly three hours...and he never came."

Rosa broke down completely, choking out in between sobs, "I—I know I shouldn't—have—but—maybe I would've...if only..."

"Aunt Rosa," said Battler gently, bending down to his pitiful aunt and giving her a much-needed hug, "it's all right. It's not too late. You haven't killed anyone yet. They're only unconscious right now. I'll tell you what we'll do—we'll take each of these people and place them back in their rooms in the main house. Then they'll think what happened just not was all a dream. And when my dad wakes up, I could get him to find a better job for you...a job that'll guarantee more success. I will also try to get you some good psychological counselling if you feel you need it...no one ever has to know of your attempted murder. It will be our little secret."

"Thank you...Battler-kun..." sobbed Rosa.

Battler's head turned at the sound of clapping. His arms fell to his side as he slowly stood up and saw a clapping Beato approaching him. "Well done, Battler-kun," she said, a satisfactory smile on her face. "You have won the game, and solved all my riddles. I have to congratulate you...you truly were a most worthy opponent. It was fun watching you sit and struggle, but I really wanted you to see...to prevent your aunt from causing this tale of tragedy...to prevent her from ruining the life of her daughter, Maria. I can only imagine what would've happened to her if this went unsolved..."

"Beato," said Battler, taking a few steps forward until he stopped right in front of Beato, "what are you doing out here? It isn't safe for you."

"I know," said Beato. "But I could not bear to wait hours upon hours before finally getting the results from Teacher. Nor did I exactly want to take her word for it. No, I had to find it out for myself...if you truly were competent or not. And I can safely say this much...you are competent. And I accept your proposal."

She pulled out the velvet box from her sleeve and gave it to Battler, who opened up the box. Rosa had gone from being emotionally distraught to dumbstruck. She had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on...but it sure was romantic, whatever it was.

"There is one, final riddle you set out for me," said Battler, gently taking out the ring, "One that I have safely come up with the answer to...you asked who you were."

He gently slipped the ring onto Beato's ring finger as he spoke: "You are Beato...a woman who has taught me that without love, it cannot be seen. And in a matter of months, you will become Ushiromiya Beato."

He looked into her eyes and smiled, and she smiled back. The two shared a happy embrace, laughing in relief that at last, it was all over and they were free to live a life of happiness together.

Deciding now was the right moment, Beato looked into Battler's eyes and said, "Battler-kun, I..."

"_CONGRATULATIONS!" _burst out the simultaneous voices of two witches, startling Beato and Battler into separating. Standing right before them were Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, having seemingly come out of nowhere.

"We have been watching the great Endless Sorcerer from the meta-world, and we, too, wish to share our congratulations," said Bernkastel. "We did not think you would be capable of doing it. It was indeed a true miracle...one that even I could not cause."

Battler was hesitant to accept these words of congratulations; he suspected there had to be a catch. Lambdadelta revealed that catch: "Yes, you were brilliant all right. But you made one, fatal mistake...you did not deny the existence of witches for _this_ game. If you had, then Bern and I would not have any authority to do _this."_

Before anyone had a chance to understand what was happening, there was a burst of light that knocked Beato and Battler down to the ground. Standing just above them was an army of demon goat butlers. Instead of devouring them for dinner, however, they ran off into the rose garden, nearly trampling the two. They were quickly joined by the Siestas, and the Eiserne Jungfrau, led by a triumphant Dlanor A. Knox who declared, "DIE THE DEATH! SENTENCE TO DEATH! GREAT EQUALIZER IS THE DEATH!"

As though this was the sound of an army general sounding their bugle, the Siestas and Eiserne Jungfrau marched forward into the rose garden, following behind the demon goat butlers. Because Battler had failed to properly deny magic for this game in such a way that would not deny his own existence, the two worlds were colliding...the world of reason and the world of magic. Magical beings were spilling over and well on their way to creating chaos in a world Battler had strived to maintain balance in.

Just as Battler had figured all this out, Bernkastel and Lambdadelta flew in his face with their best wide smiles and horribly disfigured eyes crying out at the same time, _"DID YOU REALLY THINK WE WOULD LET YOU OFF THAT EASY?!? A-HA-HA-HA-HA!"_

The two cackling witches disappeared in a burst of gold, and the clock struck twelve.

The final battle had begun.


	21. The Final Battle Part I

**The Final Battle (Part I)**

"What's happening _now?!?"_ cried out Rosa, frightened. Even though she was in the dark as to what was going on, the atmosphere made it very clear things had just gotten a lot more dangerous.

Battler and Beato stood up with each other as support. "Aunt Rosa," said Battler, "it's time for you to _run._ _Run_ and take Maria with you."

"What's going on?" said Rosa, still frightened and confused.

The ground was shaking beneath their feet. The army of goats was waiting for them...scattered all over the yard...

"Aunt Rosa, _run,"_ said Battler, helping his aunt stand up. "Do whatever you can to fight the army of goats off, take Maria and _run._ We are all in grave danger right not; I'll explain later; just _go."_

Rosa decided she would take Battler's word for it and ran off into the distance. Battler turned to Beato and said, "Okay, I know this is bad, but...I have a plan: First, we'll take each of the sleeping adults right here and hide them in the chapel for now; second, we'll return to the guest house and create a magic field to protect my cousins; third, we'll take everyone—"

"Battler!" said Beato sharply, pointing to the charging goats heading right towards them. Before the goats had a chance to get nearer to them, however, Virgilia, Ronove, Gaap, and the Stakes each appeared in a burst of gold. The Stakes ran right up to the goats and drew their magic swords. The goats abruptly stopped right there. Each of the Seven Stakes looked the goats right in the eye and stared them into slowly backing away and taking off.

"Teacher," said Beato, suddenly feeling a tad frightened of the look of annoyance on Virgilia's face, "What are you doing here on this fine evening?"

"What did you _think_ I planned to do upon returning home to tell you Battler had won, only to see an _empty_ bed and no trace of you around Kuwadorian?" said Virgilia irritably. She sighed, "Never mind; I think getting caught up in the middle of a real-life fantasy battle is punishment enough. Battler, why don't you and Beato go rescue your other relatives? We will stay here and move your relatives to wherever you wish."

"Are you sure?" said Battler. "Because you know, I can't really revive anyone..."

"Neither can the rest of us," said Gaap. She smiled at the sleeping figure of Rudolf. "My, this one _is_ cute..."

"He'd think the same if he were awake, believe me," said Battler, rolling his eyes. "Anyway...for now, hide them in the chapel right there and guard it until we come back."

"Wait," said Mammon, stepping forward, "is Ange in the guest house?"

"Yes," said Battler.

"Then let me come," said Mammon. "I have something of a friendship with her...it's a long story, but...anyway, please let just the one of us go with you."

"I don't see why not," shrugged Beato. "Just don't embarrass us, okay?"

Battler decided not to ask Mammon how she knew Ange, and only said, "Right. Let's go; we've wasted enough time as it is!"

* * *

"Onii-chan's been gone for a while," said Ange as she sat on the edge of the bed, kicking her feet. "When's he going to get back?"

"I don't know," said Jessica, "but it's midnight. It's time for _all_ of us to get changed and go to bed."

_BANG!_

"What was that?" said Jessica sharply, nearly tumbling over from the sudden impact.

"Maybe it was just..." George began, but there was another, much louder _BANG._ It sounded like someone was trying to break in...

"Kihihi," giggled Maria, "it has begun."

"What's begun onee-chan?" said Ange.

Maria smiled at Ange. "All of you go see who's at the door. It won't be much longer now...we will never reach the Golden Land at this rate...but don't worry. We have people to protect us."

"Maria?" said George curiously.

_BANG!_

"Don't worry," repeated Maria. "Battler will be here shortly and save us all."

"From what?" said Jessica nervously.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

After the third bang, there was the sound of doors bursting open, a scampering of feet...then the sound of several people being knocked over. Curiosity got the better of them; the four promptly ran out of the bedroom and to the main hall...where they saw several fine-dressed demon goat butlers lying on the floor, groaning in agony. Standing just above them was Battler, Beato, and Mammon.

"Beato!" cried out Maria.

"Maria," said Beato, "you all have to leave _now._ They've been knocked out by Battler-kun for now, but it won't be much longer until—"

"Wait a minute," said Jessica suspiciously. "You mean to tell me that Battler—_our_ Battler—actually took on _all_ those weird goat things?"

"Well, with a bit of help from Mammon," said Battler modestly. "And from Beato, who took out one or two..."

"More like two or three," scoffed Beato.

"Ange," said Mammon, grabbing Ange and lifting her up over her shoulders, "you have to get out of here _now."_

Battler was quick to add, "Don't worry; she's with me. I trust Mammon."

"How do you know my name?" asked Ange incredulously.

"Long story," said Mammon. "But right now, we have to leave."

"Not until we get an explanation," said Jessica, putting both hands on her hips.

"Jessica, we don't have _time,"_ Battler tried to explain, but Jessica cut in: "You just took out_ ten_ well-dressed goats with the help of your girlfriend, _and_ some other girl dressed in sexy clothing—you had _better_ explain."

The demon goat butlers were gradually coming to. Battler quickly said, "Remember what I told you before about the game? Well, it's true, and to make an even _longer _story even _shorter,_ I am now the Endless Sorcerer, and a pair of crazy witches is out to get my ass. Now let's run!"

Mammon ran with Ange in her arms while Battler grabbed the hands of George and Jessica and dragged them outside. Beato then grabbed Maria's hand and began to run out, but not before slamming the door shut and locking it up, leaving behind a group of very confused demon goat butlers.

* * *

"There," said Gaap, shutting the door to the chapel. "That should be the last of them."

Virgilia looked around the almost _too_ quiet forest. "I should hope so," she said. "It would be a very bad thing for one of Bernkastel's minions to show up unexpectedly, but I would not put it above them."

"How smart of you, Lady Virgilia," said the cool, collecting voice of Dlanor, who appeared right before Virgilia's eyes. "If you don't mind, let us duel. Let us duel to the death."

"I am very sorry Dlanor, but I am going to have to turn you down on that offer," said Virgilia. "I have a job—I have to protect the chapel from all intruders."

"And that is _precisely_ what you had better plan on doing!" declared Dlanor, who whipped out her red sword and began to use it to cut through the chapel doors, but was abruptly stopped by Virgilia, who possessed no sword of her own, but instead used her magic shield to deflect Dlanor's blows.

"I am truly sorry to have to do this to you, my old friend," apologized Dlanor. Her job did not allow her to show a face of sincerity or mockery, and so she kept her face still, not showing any sign of emotion. "But I am under orders. I have been ordered to hunt you and I cannot let you go." With that, she raised her red sword to strike once more and Virgilia once again deflected it with her shield.

Virgilia turned to Ronove, Gaap, and the Stakes. "Ronove, Gaap," she said, "go inside the chapel. Stakes, go protect your master. Be on your guard."

She turned back to Dlanor, ready to finish some unfinished business...

* * *

"Maria!" cried out Rosa when Beato ran up to her in the rose garden, holding onto Maria's hand.

"Mama!" said Maria happily. Beato let go of her hand and watched as Maria ran up to her mother...

Then the Siesta's golden arrows bounced around the rose garden, nearly striking Maria in her path, but deflected when Battler leaped in front of her and put up a resistance field. This prompted Rosa to scoop Maria up in her arms and give her a tight hug, whispering softly, "Forgive me."

"Forgetting _us, _aren't you?" said Jessica nervously.

"Right, sorry," said Battler quickly, running straight to the mansion's front doors with Beato right behind. He pounded on them for nearly half a minute before Kanon and Shannon opened them. Mammon pushed right past them and ran indoors carrying a perplexed Ange.

"It's a bit of a long story, but we're in danger," said Battler, hoping that was a satisfying answer.

"Kanon-kun!" gasped Jessica. She slumped over and began coughing tightly. Kanon took Jessica in his arms and said, "I will take care of milady from here. The rest of you, go."

Shannon's eyes met George's. "George," she said, "is there anything that..."

Battler had to put up another field after seeing a golden arrow fly towards Shannon at the very last second. He shoved George inside and slammed the door shut.

"This is getting annoying," sighed Beato. "You'd think they would at least wait until we were finished talking."

Rosa and Maria were about to run up to the front door when the Siestas fired yet _again._ Once more, Battler had to step in and put up another resistance field. "This _is_ tiring," he sighed. "Don't they _ever_ stop?"

The Siestas were standing just a few feet away from the four, ready to fire once more, when suddenly six stakes flew through the air, each bouncing off the ground and towards the Siestas, who quickly disappeared in a burst of gold. Just as they did, Erika, who had been lying unconscious in a bed of roses, awoke, stood up, saw the sight, and angrily shouted, _"Come back here, you worthless furniture! I command you!"_

"It appears as though you're losing control of your own furniture," laughed Beato, daring enough to strut up to her former murderer.

Erika turned to face Beato. She stepped out of the rose bed and said, "You do realize your beloved boyfriend is winning because of a stroke of sheer _luck,_ right?"

"Luck _and_ competence," said Beato coolly.

"Too bad," yawned Erika. "It would've been lovely to see your boyfriend get bloodied up to bits in a manner quite similar to you."

This was the wrong thing to say. Beato said, "You know, I frequently switch over from 'tsun' to 'dere' and back again."

Erika tilted her head. "I don't quite follow."

An insane grin spread across Beato's face as she spoke: "But have you ever seen me go from 'dere' to 'yan'?"

Before Erika could make heads or tails of what was happening, Beato had grabbed Erika by the pigtails and swung her over right back into the rose bed.

"Beato, you're incredible!" cried out Maria.

"Yes, yes, we'll gloat over my incredibleness later," sighed Beato. There was a low rumble in the ground. "Right now, we had better check on Teacher. It sounds like she's in a bit of trouble."

* * *

While Virgilia was not necessarily in any sort of trouble, she _was_ in a bit of an intense battle with Dlanor. Well, it was intense in a physical sense. Otherwise, the two foes were perfectly polite and neutral in combat.

"I hope you can forgive me," said Dlanor, trying to take another swing at Dlanor with her red sword, only to be blocked once again by Virgilia's shield. "I had a momentary lapse in judgment when I told Erika about...well, you know..."

"I should say so," said Virgilia coldly, holding up her shield for as long as she could. "I know you have to work for her, but you didn't have to let her honey-laced words trick you."

"Just like Adam and Eve, is it not?" yawned Dlanor, beginning to get bored with this battle. "The temptation of the forbidden fruit is a bit strong, no? You especially would know."

At this, Virgilia stumbled and her shield collapsed. She fell to the ground, now at Dlanor's mercy. Dlanor looked down at her old friend. She was under orders...she had to kill her...

Before she had a chance, Cornelia stepped forward: "Dlanor..."

Dlanor, irritated at being interrupted, snapped, "Yes, what is it?"

Cornelia winced and took a step back. "There are people approaching," she said. "What do you wish for Gertrude and me to do?"

"Depends," said Dlanor, temporarily relieved of the task of having to kill Virgilia. "Who are they?"

Gertrude reported, "It is the Endless Sorcerer with his girlfriend and aunt."

Dlanor turned to Virgilia. "So your disciple has fallen in love with the man who now takes up her former title. Are you satisfied?"

"I am greatly satisfied as a matter of fact," said Virgilia, deciding not to dare stand to her feet until Dlanor had been defeated. "He makes her happy."

By now, Battler, Beato, and Rosa were within sight. Maria was nowhere to be seen. To others, this would've looked suspicious. Dlanor suspected nothing and said, "Ah, good day to you all. Have you come to defend Virgilia, or admit to your loss?"

"Neither," said Battler, giving Beato and Rosa a knowing smile. They had formulated a quick plan on the way to the chapel, and they hoped it would work.

"What are you all smiling about?" said Dlanor suspiciously.

"We have decided we are not going to do a thing about what you are going to do to Virgilia," declared Battler. "We are just going to stand back and mind our own business, right Aunt Rosa?"

Rosa nodded, still not understanding what was going on, but deciding to just go along with it rather than try to wrap her mind around it.

Dlanor looked between the three and her old friend. Much as she hated to, she would have to follow through with her orders. "Very well," she sighed, beginning to lift up her red sword...

"_We_ won't do anything," said Beato, standing back against the trees with Battler and Rosa, "but _she_ will."

Dlanor looked up. "Who is this 'she' exactly?"

Before she had another chance to use her red sword, there was a blast of light that knocked it right out of her hand and onto the ground, where it smashed into a million pieces.

"But—what—who—?" she stammered.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Maria came out from behind the trees from a distance, wearing her witch dress, carrying her rose. She ran up to the confused Witch Hunter and began to sing: _"One little witches, two little witches, three little witches, trick-or-treat."_

Dlanor screamed at Gertrude and Cornelia, "GO ON; KILL HER!"

But when they tried to fire at Maria, she cried out, "Uu!" and deflected off of them with a wave of her rose and sang: _"Today is a happy Halloween, so let's join the Witches' party! Beatrice gave me an invitation that only I can see!"_

Gertrude and Cornelia came charging at Maria, but she continued to wave her rose, creating a red barrier between herself and the hunters, continuing to sing happily: _"Rabbits made of chocolate, spinning cute candies, shortcake with strawberries on top, my marked rose! Magic circles written round! You can't understand them? Kihihihi! You can feel it if your heart believes, Beatrice exists!"_

Gertrude and Cornelia were beginning to wear down, not realizing they were powerless against Maria, who sang, _"The pumpkin coach is coming to pick me up!"_

At this line, the barrier burst open, knocking Gertrude and Cornelia back by ten feet. Maria waved her rose...and just like that, it turned into her golden staff and she triumphantly sang, _"Happy Halloween Maria! Use magic to fly to the candy castle!"_

Angry, Dlanor sent Gertrude and Cornelia back to the heavens and they disappeared in a flash, but this did not cease Maria's triumphant singing: _"Happy Halloween Maria! Choose your favourite dress to change into! And let's have sweet dreams!"_

Virgilia lightly chuckled at the young witch being able to use such a cheery method to deflect temptations of using any black magic, and to simply use self-defensive magic. Dlanor glared at Virgilia before deciding she would take care of this child herself. She went charging towards Maria, who sang, _"If there's magic, everyone is happy. As long as I have Mama, Maria is happy! Uu!"_

Maria went back into chanting _"One little witches, two little witches, three little witches, trick-or-treat,"_ and circled Dlanor before using her magic staff to lift her up into the air. She swept it down and Dlanor fell to the ground and Maria let out another verse: _"Today is a happy Halloween, so let's join the Witches' party! Recite the magic spell "one, two, three" and all our friends will appear!"_

At that moment, the Siesta showed up to provide Dlanor with back-up, but it was all useless, for Maria then conjured up a doll-like ghost, who looked exactly like the doll Battler had given Beato. As the doll deflected the golden arrows bouncing around outdoors, preventing each of them from hitting anyone, Maria sang: _"All the rabbits in the band, the trumpet is especially good! Mr. Cow, Mr. Dog, Mr. Rooster, and Mr. Cat will all be coming too! Magic circles written round; you still can't see it? Kihihihi! You can feel it if your heart loves, it's so close!"_

The Siestas, now fully frightened by the back-up Battler had, disappeared once more in a burst of gold. Dlanor did not need to call in anymore support, for at that moment, a portion of the demon goat butlers came charging towards Maria. Unfazed, she ran straight towards them, singing, _"The goats keep on increasing..."_

"Maria!" cried out Rosa, but before she could run out and defend her vulnerable daughter, Maria and the goats clashed in a burst of light, creating a great dust cloud surrounding them. Everyone held their breath. Was this a mistake? Had they overestimated Maria's abilities?

The dust cloud was clearing...and there stood...

...a group of goats no longer in their formal attire. Now, just ordinary goats bleating and walking around the undamaged Maria, who triumphantly declared, _"Happy Halloween Maria!"_

* * *

"Ooooh, this is not going well, Bern," said Lambdadelta as she and Bernkastel made their way through the rose garden. "This is not going well at all."

"Indeed," sighed Bernkastel. "I thought we had the Endless Sorcerer cornered, but he is more able-minded than we thought. Then again, perhaps it is really my fault...perhaps this was, in truth, caused by incompetent pieces of mine."

Just then, the two witches stopped and smiled at the sight. Erika had just summoned Dlanor A. Knox, not realizing that by doing so, she had significantly increased the chances of Battler winning. She had just started screaming at Dlanor when Bernkastel and Lambdadelta marched up to the two of them.

"Stop it," said Bernkastel. "Erika, this was no fault of Dlanor's. She was only following orders from an incompetent leader."

Erika's jaw dropped. Bernkastel then said, "Dlanor A. Knox, thank you for your time. I will now order my piece to have you dismissed."

With a curt nod, Dlanor said, "It has been a pleasure."

Bernkastel smiled a saccharine smile at Erika who scoffed, "Fine...you may go now, Dlanor A. Knox. Go and leave me in peace!"

With that, Dlanor left the game board.

"And now," said Bernkastel, "I have another issue to address with you...Lambdadelta and I created you for the purpose of using you to win this game for us. You, however, failed to deliver."

"It's not _my_ fault," Erika began to say, but Lambdadelta scoffed, "Excuses, excuses. Well guess what? I am super paper! And super paper is officially going down on your puny rock!"

Bernkastel rolled her eyes. "What Lambdadelta is trying to say is that I think it is time you were just about removed from the game board permanently."

"After all I've done—" Erika began to say, but then Lambdadelta picked up a row of nearby roses and shoved them into Erika's mouth to get her to shut up. "Bye-bye, now," she giggled with a wave.

"Yes," said Bernkastel, smiling cruelly. "Goodbye, Erika Furudo. I can assure you it has _not_ been a pleasure."

And just like that, Erika, too, was removed from the game board.

"Great," sighed Lambdadelta. "We've just removed those annoying pieces, but we're _still_ outnumbered, even with the remaining demon goats. Now what?"

"Oh, just do whatever comes to mind," said Bernkastel casually before disappearing in a burst of gold.

"Do whatever comes to mind?!?" cried Lambdadelta, stamping her foot. "What's _that_ supposed to mean, huh, Bern?!?"

She let out a frustrated grunt...then her eyes lay on the shotgun lying by the front doors. She ran up to the gun and placed it into the hands of the next demon goat butler that came running by. "Here," she snapped. "Go wild with it."

With that, she disappeared in a burst of gold to argue with Bernkastel. The goat shrugged and waited for the next person to come walking by, gun in hand.

* * *

"Maria, where the heck did _that_ come from?" said Battler as he, Beato, Virgilia, Rosa, and Maria made their way back to the mansion, hoping the worst of it was over.

"Uu, you mean the song?" said Maria, having now magically changed into her regular clothes. "Uu, I don't know, it was the first thing that came to mind...don't ask me how I came up with it; I just did."

"I have to congratulate you," said Beato, smiling. "You truly are a worthy witch. I taught you well. Maybe someday, Battler could pass down the title of the Endless Witch to you, Maria."

"Only if her mother doesn't mind, of course," Virgilia was quick to add.

"I...I don't know _what_ happened back there," said Rosa slowly. "And I'm not really sure of what's happening _now..._but Maria, I promise you that when we leave this island, things are going to be much, much better from now on. Mama will find more time to be together with you. And...mama also promises to repair Sakutaro, okay?"

"Uu!" said Maria enthusiastically, stopping to hug her mother. Rosa smiled and gave Maria a tight hug in return. She looked over at Beato, Battler, and Virgilia and said, "You three go on ahead; Maria and I will catch up."

Battler was a bit reluctant to leave Rosa and Maria out in the open, but Virgilia said, "We won't go far; if it looks like anything is about to happen, we will run straight back."

Rosa barely paid attention to any of this and continued to hold her daughter in her arms as the three began to head on. "How could I have been so blind?" she whispered. "Stupid, stupid mommy."

"Uu, Maria doesn't think you're stupid," said Maria. "Maria loves mama."

"Mama loves Maria, too," said Rosa, unable to hold back the tears.

Battler smiled at this sight. Then he turned his head and noticed something Virgilia and Beato did not: A demon goat butler holding a shotgun, aiming it right at Rosa and Maria. He spun around and cried out, "Rosa! Maria! Look out!"

Maria had just turned around to Battler, but was promptly turned away by her mother. She heard a bang, then felt the two of them falling to the ground together. Maria wriggled out of her mother's grasp and said, "Uu, let's catch up with them, okay mama? Mama?"

Maria had begun to notice Virgilia shouting at the demon goat and yanking the shotgun out of his hand. She had begun to notice Battler was looking as though he were trying very hard to concentrate at _something._ But it wasn't until Beato began to shrink away and Maria placed one hand on her mother's coat that she realized it was stained with blood.

"Mama?" said Maria, suddenly worried. "Mama, get up! Mama, we can still go!" Yet a part of Maria knew deep down what had just happened, and the meaning behind it. Mama had been shot. And mama was not likely to make it out of this alive.

"I'm sorry...for being such a rotten mommy," murmured Rosa, knowing her time was almost up, wishing she had more to make amends.

"Uu! Maria forgives!" cried out Maria. "Maria always forgives Mama! Just please, don't go, mama! Don't go!"

"Maria," said Rosa softly, using her last bit of strength to caress her daughter's cheeks, "thank you...for being born as my child."

Her trembling finger stroke those cheeks...those cheeks that should have been warmly embraced, not slapped...

Then she stopped...her finger lay still...the rest of her went silent.

"M...mama?" said Maria weakly. She gave Rosa a gentle push and said, "Mama, wake up. Mama, wake up! MAMA!"

She let out a wail and buried her face in her mother's shoulder, sobbing in hope that her mama would wake up, despite knowing her mama was far gone. The rose she had been holding with one hand began to wither and die, her faith in magic shattered along with her childhood innocence.

"Maria," whispered Battler, walking up to the two of them. "I'm so sorry." And he truly meant it...he had tried to heal Rosa with his magic, yet somehow he could not quite remember Rosa's form. Was this because his memory had failed him? Or because she was something of a changed woman?

Beato slowly walked up to Maria. She gently placed one hand on Maria's shoulder, but Maria shoved it away harshly, not wanting to be comforted. It was at this moment that George and Shannon came running outside. "What happened?" said George sharply. "We heard a gunshot and..." His eyes fell on Rosa's lifeless figure.

"We'll take care of this," said Battler quickly. "George, Shannon, right now you need to take Maria with you. Take her down to the basement and keep her there until we come for you."

"_No!"_ screeched Maria. _"Want to stay with mama!"_

"Maria," said Shannon gently, "come in with us. You can see your mama again eventually, all right?"

Maria kept screaming that she wanted to stay with her mama, even as George and Shannon lifted her up and carried her into the Ushiromiya mansion.

"I...I couldn't do anything," said Battler slowly. He let out a cry and buried his face in his hands, unable to cry. How could he have made such a deal with those witches? Why couldn't he have kept the ability to bring the dead back to life? He had failed in healing Rosa's injury...and now he failed in bringing her back. He could not bear to look at her body.

"Ah, it's a shame to be powerless, isn't it?" said Lambdadelta as she slowly materialized in the rose garden.

"You!" cried out Virgilia. She rushed over to the giggling witch and said angrily, "Were you the one who gave that goat...?"

"Hey, Bern told me to do whatever comes to mind," shrugged Lambdadelta. "How was I supposed to know someone would get shot anyway, huh? That goat could've just shot at the roses, after all."

"You are crossing a _fine_ line, Lambdadelta," said Virgilia in the same, angry tone. "To take a mother away from a child..."

"Yes, it _is_ awful, isn't it?" sighed Lambdadelta. "Not that you'd care, of course. _You_ of all people should know what it is like to take a parent away from a child, regardless of—"

"Cut the crap, Lambdadelta," said Beato harshly, marching right up next to Virgilia. "You have _no idea_ how much that woman meant to that child!"

Lambdadelta looked over at Beato. "Oh you don't know? She never told you? Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"What are you talking about?" said Beato angrily.

"It's nothing," said Virgilia quickly. "Lady Lambdadelta, _please_ don't do this."

Lambdadelta ignored this request and said, "Do you know what happened to your mother?"

"Of course I do," said Beato calmly. "My mother died in childbirth—she only had enough time to name me before passing away."

At this, Lambdadelta laughed, "So _that's_ the lie she's been feeding you all this time! Well, no wonder, considering how awful the truth is."

Beato looked at Lambdadelta curiously...then burst out laughing. "I see now," she laughed. "I see what you're trying to do: You're trying to turn me against Teacher by making me think she killed my mother. Well, it's _not_ going to work!"

With a cruel smile, Lambdadelta announced:

"Virgilia did not _kill_ your mother. She _is_ your mother."


	22. Interlude

**Interlude**

Beato's eyes widened in shock. No...that couldn't be true...it just..._could not be true..._that would mean her own Teacher had been _lying_ to her all along; no, it _was not_ true; she herself had told stories about how the special relationship she shared with her mother...no...it was a _lie..._

"Surprise!" cackled Lambdadelta. "Happy mother and daughter reunion! Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Beato shook her head. "You're lying," she said. "My mother died after I was born; Teacher said..."

"Oh?" said Lambdadelta, raising her eyebrows. "So you believe _everything_ Teacher says, huh? And people call _me_ childish and naive!"

She looked back and forth between the shocked yet infuriated Beato, and the shamed Virgilia who was silently pleading Lambdadelta not to do this despite knowing she had gone too far in announcing the damning secret and could no longer take it back. "Well," she said, "after eighteen years of lies, I think it's just about time for Beato to finally know the truth about her mother, don't you think so, _Virgilia?"_

Virgilia turned her head away, knowing she deserved to have her sin exposed.

Lambdadelta smirked and turned to look over at Beato. "As you already know," she began, "Virgilia, back when she was Beatrice, was the magician for the Ushiromiya household. She entertained and dazzled with all sorts of magic, but there was _one_ individual who had _his_ turn to enchant _her—_your father, Christopher Lombardi. If you're optimistic, you could say it was love at first sight; if you're pessimistic, it was sheer _lust_ at first sight. Well, whatever it was, Virgilia wanted him _sooooo_ bad, but he was already married, you see. And she _hated_ his wife for it; oh sure, she'd smile and laugh when in her presence, but deep down, she _hated_ her for having the man she wanted but could not have."

The smile on Lambdadelta's face grew. "Can you guess what happens _next?"_ she teased. Before Beato had a chance to guess, Lambdadelta said, "Well, one night his wife got called away from the island to visit her sick mother and Kinzo and his wife and daughter went with her, entrusting the mansion to the servants, leaving her husband _all alone._ One thing can be said for certain about Virgilia: When she sees an opportunity to get what she wants, she does not waste it!"

"Who I am now and who I was then are two very different people," said Virgilia softly, but no one could hear her, so Lambdadelta went on: "So she went to your father in his bedroom and _seduced_ him. That's right, she _seduced_ him! How did it go again—oh, I believe it went along the lines of..." Lambdadelta wrapped her arms around her shoulders and moved them down her body to suggest the action of slipping off a robe or a dress as she spoke: "'Take me. Take _all_ of me!' A-heh-heh-heh!"

Battler was just as stunned to hear all this as Beato was, although, she probably had it worse considering she spent her whole life with this woman. This most certainly did not sound like the Virgilia he knew at all, nothing like the graceful woman who, despite her loyalty being a tad sketchy at times, truly possessed great virtue and wisdom. He looked over at Virgilia, who turned to him with a look of shame in her eyes. He could only imagine how hard this had to be on both Virgilia _and_ Beato. Virgilia, to have her shameful past exposed; Beato, to learn everything she knew about her parents was a lie.

"But that night did not go without its consequences," said Lambdadelta, clearly enjoying the growing look of shock and horror on Beato's face. _"You_ were that consequence. Yes, _you_ were the fruit of Virgilia's forbidden passion!" She cackled once more before continuing: "And when she found out she was pregnant, she poisoned your father's wife, and chose to tell him the news on the same night."

She laughed, "Talk about a _rotten_ sense of timing! He was absolutely _furious_ and accused her of seducing every other man in the house, _and _called her a liar and a whore when she tried to explain he was the only one she ever slept with. And then—oh, you're gonna _love_ this—he knocked her down to the ground and tried to kick her in the stomach to make her _lose_ any evidence of their illicit liaison!" She then sneered, "How does it feel to learn you weren't wanted by your own _father,_ Be-a-to, hmm? How does it feel to learn your parents never _really_ loved each other like you _thought_ they did, and you were the product of lust that could not be controlled?"

Beato clenched her hands into fists. Trembling, she said, "Stop it."

Gleefully, Lambdadelta said, "Oh but don't you _want_ to hear the rest of your sad, sad history? Well I'm gonna tell you anyway: When your father tried to kill you, Virgilia instantly put up a magic protective shield between his foot and your stomach. And _that_ was when he figured out she was a _real_ witch. Now he _also_ happened to be a bit of a religious nut. To make a long story short, it ended with Virgilia taking his gun and shooting him in self-defence. But then dear, sweet Kinzo and Kumasawa came along and found out what had happened. All she had to do was give them those sad eyes and whimper, "I'm pregnant". It's funny how their reactions contradicted each other—because Kumasawa was Virgilia's mentor, she was naturally furious at what her disciple had done; Kinzo, on the other hand, showed a bit more compassion. He sent Virgilia off to live in Kuwadorian, but her own mentor refused to go with her. Instead, she had to make do with Kumasawa's former furniture, Ronove."

Beato had a mingled look of shock and fury on her face, causing Lambdadelta to laugh. She said, "Your birth was kind of boring—just the standard water-breaking, Ronove rushing to the mansion to get Dr. Nanjo, and Virgilia giving birth to you in the wee hours of the morning. Oh, but I'll bet you would _love_ to hear what happened when she tried to bring your father back from the spirit world, wouldn't you? He outright _rejected_ you and forbade Virgilia from _ever_ summoning him _ever_ again!"

Lambdadelta cackled, "Isn't this _wonderful?_ You're not _just_ Virgilia's _disciple;_ you're her little _baaastaaard!_ A-ha-ha-ha!"

"_LIES!"_ burst out Beato with an absolutely _furious_ look on her face. "Lies, lies, _LIES!_ This is just more of your lying to turn me against Teacher!"

She whipped around to face Battler. "Battler," she said sharply, "use your Gold Truth to confirm it. Say in gold: "Virgilia is not Beato's mother". "

Battler laughed nervously and looked back and forth from a cackling Lambdadelta and a furious Beato. He was damned if he used the Gold to confirm it, and he was damned if he didn't, and he could not use it at the moment. He laughed, "Wow, this is just like that American movie _Star Wars._ Have you seen it? It's a real classic. You see, it turns out that Darth Vader—"

"_Don't_ change the subject!" barked Beato, who looked like she was ready to toss him over to the remaining demon goats.

Battler decided to make a certain point: "You know, I can't really use the Gold truth when I'm not in the meta-world, so..."

"So I'll show you for myself that every word I spoke was the truth," said Lambdadelta. With a snap of her fingers, the scenery changed and the four were standing in a scene from the past.

More specifically, they were standing in the bedroom now belonging to Beato, which apparently once belonged to Virgilia, for she was sitting up in bed, wearing a nightgown. She looked exhausted, as though she had been through a long, tiring ordeal. Standing just above her was Ronove, who held an infant wrapped up in a blanket. The infant's face was as red as a freshly boiled lobster. The infant itself looked to be only an hour or so old. It took Battler almost a minute to realize the infant was Beato, who had wisps of blonde hair...and she was wrapped up in the same blanket Battler had discovered, the pink one with the name "Maria" stitched onto it.

"Lady Beatrice," said Ronove, "I have avoided asking this question up until now, for I was afraid it would be an issue too sensitive for you, but...how do you plan on raising this child?"

"Raising?" whispered Beato, hardly believing the scene before her eyes.

"What do you mean by that, Ronove?" asked the other Virgilia. The current Virgilia could barely watch the scene unfold, remembering it in all too vivid detail.

"What I mean is, do you plan on raising this infant as your child?" asked Ronove. "Or do you plan on simply presenting yourself to her as a guardian chosen to raise her?"

The baby began to stir. The other Virgilia sighed, "Let me hold her, Ronove."

It was a tender scene; Ronove gently placed the baby into the other Virgilia's arms. She held her child with all her strength and looked into the baby's eyes, which peeped open ever so slightly. Beato held back tears as she observed the other Virgilia holding herself, smiling down at her. Lambdadelta had been telling the truth after all. Virgilia was Beato's mother...and she had been lying to her all these years.

"Good morning, my little one," whispered the other Virgilia, smiling at her daughter. "How are you enjoying this world so far, hmm?" She held her child to her chest and looked up at Ronove. "I think it would be best if I were to pretend Kinzo adopted her and chose us to raise her," she said. "I can't bear to think how she would react if she knew about me and Christopher."

"Are you sure, Lady Beatrice?" said Ronove.

"Absolutely," nodded the other Virgilia. "Who knows...maybe one day, this child of mine will inherit my title. She may very well be destined for great things. She is better off not knowing the truth."

Ronove smiled down at the now sleeping baby. "Do you still plan on giving her the name you've had in mind for her?"

"Yes," said the other Virgilia. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and whispered, "I am going to tell you this now, for this is the only time I can ever tell you...I am your mother, my little Maria."

Beato tried to look over at Virgilia, but couldn't. She looked only at the sad image of the only instance the other Virgilia would ever be honest to Beato about who she truly was...that she was the woman who had brought her into the world...that she had committed a great sin just to have her...

Without warning, the scenery shifted and they were now in the parlour, where the other Virgilia sat with a whimpering Beato in her arms. "Let us go forward to a few months later," said Lambdadelta. "After such a sweet, _sweet_ moment, here is something that's _sooo_ sad! Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

"There, there, my child," whispered the other Virgilia. "Colic isn't very pleasant at all, now is it? But look on the bright side...you are beginning to calm down for the first time in five hours. The servants told me you were getting better. I am so very glad they gave me the chance to have this moment with you. In fact, there is something I have been meaning to do just for you."

The other Virgilia closed her eyes as though in deep concentration. Materializing right in the center of the room was a tall man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and remainders of a beard. The other Virgilia opened her eyes and whispered, "Christopher..."

"Papa?" gasped Beato. She ran up to the spirit of her father, forgetting she could not be seen or heard. She said, "Papa, it's me! It's your daughter!"

"Why did you bring me back here?" said Christopher gruffly. "I was happy in heaven with my wife—the woman I _really_ love."

The other Virgilia stood up, still holding the baby in her arms. "I don't care if you love me anymore," she said calmly. "I'm past that now. What I do care about is if you love our daughter."

"_Your _daughter, you mean," said Christopher, turning away from the other Virgilia, who said to him, "Christopher, she's _our_ daughter. Maria—that's her name, Maria—_we _made Maria _together._ We may not have _intended_ to, but here she is. And I love her with all my heart. I just...want you to see her one last time. Just once, and that's it—I'll send you straight back to the spirit world and never bother you again. Just please, look at your daughter's face. See how much she resembles you."

Christopher would not turn around. The other Virgilia marched straight up to him and said, "Please, _look_ at her." She tried placing the baby in his arms, but he shoved the baby away and said with disgust, "Take that _thing _away from me! And do not bother me _ever_ again! Let me rest in peace; do not bring me back just to torment me with a reflection of my mistake!"

In that moment, Battler wanted to give Beato a hug, but he knew it was better to give her a bit of space for now. The look on her face was the exact same from when she had been slapped. No, she looked as though she felt _worse_ than receiving a mere slap. As the angry spirit of her father disappeared, Beato whispered, "Papa..."

The scenery shifted, and the four of them were back in the present, standing in the rose garden, Rosa's body lying away a few feet in the distance. Lambdadelta put on a face of mock sympathy and sighed, "Isn't that _sad?"_ Then she let the fake look disappear and laughed while Beato stood there in shock, barely processing everything she had just been told, and everything she had just witnessed.

"Beato."

Beato turned around to face Virgilia, though almost reluctant to. Virgilia said, "Look me in the eye, my child."

Beato somehow managed to bring herself to look Virgilia in the eye. Her eyes, once full of wisdom and truth, now had shame and regret reflected within them. "Beato," she said softly, "I am so sorry. I should have told you the truth when you asked of your parents. I just didn't want you to..."

Virgilia sighed and shook her head sadly. "No," she said. "There is no real good reason for me not telling you, other than cowardice. I was afraid. I was afraid...of facing you if you knew what I had done. Beato...I cannot say this enough, but I am so, _so_ sorry. I'm sorry for many things, but most of all, I am sorry for bringing you into the world through lust. I wish you could've been born under happier circumstances to two, loving parents." Her eyes shined over as though to hold back tears. "I have let you down as a mentor and as a mother."

She turned to Lambdadelta and bowed her head in shame. "For that," she said, "I do not deserve to be a witch." She took off her hat and said, "Rightfully revoke my powers. I do not deserve them."

Battler stepped forward. "Virgilia..."

Virgilia turned to Battler and gave him a sad smile. "I've been lying to you all along," she said. "To you, and to Beato. It was true that I myself sewed her blanket hand-by-hand, knowing instinctively it would be a girl. And yes, I did have her mother in mind. But I never told you her mother was me. Nor did I ever tell you that her mother never died in childbirth, but lived on with her guilt. With that in mind, this is the last you will see of my face as a witch's face."

Yet the face Battler saw was...very much human. It was the face of a woman who had buried her guilt and shame, longing to atone for her sins by becoming a wiser person, yet only brought more folly upon herself.

Virgilia turned back to Lambdadelta, not bothering to fight her own fate as Lambdadelta spoke: _"Virgilia...your existence is only fit for that of a mortal, and not that as a witch!"_

There was a flash of light for a second or two before fading out and Virgilia fell to the ground on her knees. Battler began to run up to her, but Virgilia said, "No, I'll be fine. I'm...just not used to feeling so...heavy." She began to stand up on her feet, though shakily. Battler ran the rest of the way and helped her stand up.

Virgilia had only been standing for a few seconds when she let out a cry and collapsed, gasping for air. "Virgilia!" cried out Battler. He wasn't sure what to do. He turned to Beato...but she had no reaction. She was still in shock from her recent discovery.

"Beato, we have to take her somewhere she'll be safe," said Battle. "Can you help me carry her?" Virgilia had clutched onto his sleeve and was beginning to dig deep into it to the point where Battler thought her fingernails would poke right through.

Beato walked over to Battler and helped Virgilia stand up with her support. She said nothing, nor did she show any sign of being concerned for her Teacher's well-being.

"Now run off and be a good girl for your mother!" cackled Lambdadelta. "Don't forget to eat all your cookies and drink all your milk! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

* * *

Virgilia had lost consciousness by the time they had made it to the chapel. Battler had hoped that seeing her mentor—and mother—go through the same, painful experience Beato had to endure only a week ago would evoke some sort of reaction from her, but it didn't. She just wandered blindly alongside Battler, staring off into the distance.

They had made it to the double doors of the chapel. Battler knocked on the door and said, "Ronove? It's Battler. Something just happened."

There was a pause on the other side before the doors opened. Ronove took one look at Beato's face and said, "She just learned the truth, didn't she. About how Lady Virgilia is..."

"Yes," nodded Battler. "And Virgilia just had her powers revoked by Lambdadelta. We need to hide her here until it is safe. Can we keep her here?"

Ronove nodded. Beato let go and allowed Battler to take the first few steps inside the chapel with Virgilia in his arms. Ronove said to Beato, "Lady Beatrice, I hope you understand your mother's intentions."

Beato said nothing. She just walked by Ronove and into the chapel. The adults were all seated at the table in the exact same spots from the second game when they had been disembowelled. The irony of it was truly remarkable.

"Gaap, where should we put her?" said Battler, walking up to Gaap, still holding an unconscious Virgilia.

"What happened _here?"_ asked Gaap.

"Long story," said Battler. "Where should she go?"

"Maybe...under the table?" suggested Gaap.

"I guess that's better than absolutely _no_ where else," shrugged Battler. "Hey Beato, do you think you could give me a hand?"

There was no response.

"Beato?" said Battler, turning around. She was no longer standing behind him; she was sitting down on a bench in the back row, looking down at her feet.

"Just give Lia to me," said Gaap. "Go see what's bothering Beato."

Battler handed Virgilia over to Gaap and walked over to where Beato sat. He could understand her feelings almost perfectly—he remembered his state of confusion from when he discovered the truth about Asumu. He remembered how he had begun to question who he was...whose son he was if not Asumu...then he remembered his feelings upon discovering Kyrie was his birth mother. He had felt a mingle of confusion, relief, and anger—so many emotions all at once was overwhelming.

Then he realized she had it worse than him...at least Battler was wanted, not rejected. At least his father acknowledged him as his son, as a person, and not 'that thing'. At least he had never been viewed as a reflection of anyone's mistake.

Battler sat next to Beato. He wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to talk to her right now, but he said, "Beato...are you okay? I mean, I went through a similar discovery myself a few days ago, and..."

Beato stood up and walked over to the stain glass window. She traced her fingers along the edges of the patterns and said, "So...Teacher is my mother." She scoffed, "I should've known. I should have seen right through that bullshit she fed me that day...that day she told me how my parents had died. And yet, I never questioned her. I blindly accepted what she told me."

Battler wasn't sure what to say. Beato turned to face him. She appeared to be realizing how she was really feeling, for then she said, "So that's who I am, huh. I'm just her little bastard child, her little _mistake."_

On the word 'mistake', she pounded a fist down on the bench. It was this sound that drew the attention of the Stakes. The six of them, who had been guarding one side of the chapel, walked over to Beato. Lucifer said, "Lady Beatrice, what is the matter?"

At this, Beato pounded her fist on the bench once more and shrieked: _"GO AWAY! _None of you exist! None of you are _real!_ You're just _fantasies!_ You're all just illusions made up by a lonely little girl with no friends and no dolls, so she made you out of seven _paperweights!_ Yes, that's all you are—you're just _paperweights_ and nothing more! So go already! _Die_ and leave me alone!"

In her anger, Beato had forgotten that because she was not a witch she could no longer deny magical beings. This did not prevent the stakes from looking and feeling hurt. Satan spoke: "Lady Beatrice..."

"_Don't call me that!"_ shrieked Beato, who pounded her fist against the bench once more.

Gaap stepped forward. "Beato..."

"_You_ don't exist, either!" snapped Beato. "You are just scraps of paper from my diary! That's what you are! Just _paper!"_

Gaap flinched at these harsh words and took a step back towards the Stakes.

Beato took a few deep, shaky breaths and whipped around to face Battler. "Battler," she said, _"you_ have the power to deny them. Go ahead, deny them, tell them they're not real, tell them what they really are!"

Battler looked into Beato's eyes. He did not see a former witch who thirsted for blood; he saw an angry, sad little girl whose idealistic world had been ruthlessly shattered. He saw someone who had discovered her lifelong idol was a liar, and that her own father did not want anything to do with her. He could not blame her for feeling the way she felt, but he knew she was ordering him out of anger and nothing else. If he went through with her command and denied the existence of the Seven Stakes and Gaap, she would come to deeply regret it when she finally calmed down.

"_Do it!"_ shrieked Beato, her eyes filling up with angry tears.

Battler turned to the Seven Stakes and Gaap, and said, "Thank you for your efforts in trying to help, but I think Beato needs some time alone to herself right now. Once she has calmed down, then she will be ready to talk with you. For now, leave and go back outside. Bernkastel's army is still large and powerful and we need great forces to fight against them."

Beato grabbed Battler by the arm. "Battler-kun..."

Battler looked over at Beato and said calmly, "You need some time to calm down. You don't know what you're saying right now." He turned back to the Stakes and said, "Now go. We will be just fine here."

Lucifer turned to her sisters. "You heard him," she said. "Let's move out!"

Each Stake flew out the doors and into the night. Gaap spoke: "And me...?"

"Go join them," said Battler. "We will be there in a few minutes."

Gaap formed a black hole and climbed into it, but not before giving her best friend a sympathetic glance. Battler felt Beato's grip on him go limp. She whimpered, "Battler-kun..."

Battler sat Beato down on the benches. She lay her head on his shoulders. Battler knew it was best not to say anything. He just held her and allowed her to have her tears.

As he held her, he looked over at his relatives. As soon as Beato calmed down, they would have another task to carry out: Carrying each of them back into the mansion and hiding them. Then, they would give this battle a proper conclusion after something of a tragic interlude.


	23. The Finale Battle Part II

**The Final Battle (Part II)**

"So," said Battler after Beato calmed down, "I think it is about time we took these people back into the mansion, what about you?"

Even though Beato was no longer the hysterical mess she had been just a few minutes ago, she still needed a minute or two to compose herself before saying, "I guess so."

The two stood up and walked over to the table. "Who do you think we should start with?" asked Battler.

"I don't know," muttered Beato. "I guess, maybe...your parents?"

"Or," said Ronove, stepping forward from the shadows, "how about I conjure up a spell that will effortlessly transport each of these adults to their respected rooms and we take Virgilia indoors for safe-keeping?"

"Sounds good to me," shrugged Battler. "How about it, Beato?"

Beato nodded. She looked as though she were trying very, very hard to keep herself composed after learning a bit too much information about her parents. She had calmed down, but was still deep in thought, thinking about everything she had learned within a short space of a few minutes. If she had learned each fact separately, piece by piece...such as learning the concept of Virgilia being her mother and her father being dead...then she _might_ have had an easier time learning what she had. But to learn so much all at once was overwhelming.

"You don't think there'll be any danger waiting for us at the mansion, do you?" said Battler.

"I would not be surprised," said Ronove, gently dragging Virgilia out from underneath and slinging her over her shoulders before snapping his fingers and causing each person to vanish. "It would help if we remained on our guard."

* * *

When the three of them made it to the mansion, the only sound that could be heard was that of the clock ticking. All was silent. All was still. In fact...it could even be said that things were a little..._too_ quiet.

"Where is everyone?" muttered Battler before calling out, "Hello? Genji? Kumasawa? Gohda? Anyone?"

"We'd better not press our luck, Master Battler," said Ronove warningly. "This could be—"

"A trap?" finished an echoing voice. Within seconds, Bernkastel appeared at the top of the stairs. The corners of her lips turned up and she said, "So you thought I would suddenly make everything easy for you, hmm?"

"Well, I didn't expect anything less," shrugged Battler. "But I'm used to whatever you pull up your sleeve by now—whatever it is you have for me, bring it on."

Bernkastel chuckled evilly. "Wrong choice of words, Battler. What would you prefer—if I were to take the life of your sister, your cousins, your—"

_POW!_

Beato had marched up the stairs to Bernkastel, and punched her square in the face. She growled, "That's _my_ fiancée you're talking to, _bitch."_

It took Bernkastel a minute and a half to regain her composure, but she smiled and said, "Of course. I'm sure Virgilia is very happy to be gaining Battler for a son-in-law. By the way, I hope your feelings weren't hurt _too_ badly by the revelation that you are viewed only as a reflection of someone's mistake. Oh wait—that _did_ affect you, didn't it? Especially when you were referred to as 'that thing'."

She had just ripped open a band-aid exposing a wound that had yet to heal. Beato let out a cry and aimed for Bernkastel with her fists, but Bernkastel vanished before she could even lay a single punch. Her voice cackled, "Yes, Beato, strike. Strike once more!"

She appeared in front of Beato again and said, "You inherit your ability to fight from _both _parents, I'm impressed—I should hope, though, that you have a _much_ better kick than your father. He couldn't even succeed in killing you, what a fool!"

Beato let out a roar of anger and charged at Bernkastel, only to trip and fall to her feet when Bernkastel vanished once more, cackling at the poor girl's misery.

"Stop it, Bernkastel," said Battler sharply, heading up the stairs. "This is far too cruel."

"Oh, but you're _enjoying_ it, aren't you, Battler?" taunted Bernkastel, who appeared right behind Battler. He spun around to face her cruel smirk. "Isn't it much more satisfying to see a cruel, cold-hearted witch than a nice one? You have to admit you yourself preferred Beato when she was the bloodthirsty, vengeful witch when she first appeared to you over the calm, sweet, mild-mannered woman she eventually became."

Battler turned to see the defeated Beato at the top of the stairs. She was beginning to get up to her feet, but it was clear she was holding back the urge to cry. He walked right past Bernkastel and to the top of the stairs, where he helped Beato up and held her gently.

"Bernkastel," said Ronove, heading up the stairs, still holding onto Virgilia, "I have to agree with Master Battler. This is going too far. It isn't too late to settle this peacefully, I hope."

"Oh, but it _is,"_ said Bernkastel, smiling the same, cruel smile. "I have one last trick up my sleeve, you see. Kind of like Kinzo's trick...you know, Beato, if Virgilia and Ronove hadn't shown up to save you, he would've done a _lot_ more than _just_ breaking your bones..."

Beato let out a cry and struggled to get out of Battler's grasp so she could have a piece of the witch herself, but Battler held her back. Ronove placed Virgilia down on the stairs before marching up to Bernkastel and lightly tapping her on the shoulder. When she turned to face him, he smiled a sweet smile...

...and flipped her right over his head and onto the floor.

Ronove turned to a stunned Battler and Beato and smiled modestly. "This is the only time I will ever do something like this," he said. "I can never do this again." He then picked Virgilia back up in his arms and said, "Now, if you will excuse me..."

He began to walk off with Virgilia in his arms, when Bernkastel stood up to her feet and said, "You really shouldn't have done that, Ronove. Now you have given me a good reason to summon up what remains of my army."

With a snap of her fingers, an army of demon goat butlers appeared in the main hall, all looking ready to stampede into action. Bernkastel announced, "All of you, spread out! Leave no one alive!"

Despite their intelligence being on the slow side, the creatures understood this order and began to run off to various sections of the mansion. The ones that began to run upstairs tried to grab Ronove and Virgilia, but Ronove was too quick for them; he leaped over the staircase banister and onto the floor. He cried out, "Both of you, _run!_ Don't worry about us!"

Battler and Beato were reluctant, but they joined hands and ran off together, while Bernkastel chuckled and vanished, leaving the chaos to unfold for itself.

* * *

"Jessica," said Kanon, helping Jessica sit up on her bed, "are you feeling better now?"

Jessica nodded. Then she said, "Kanon-kun...I still don't know your real name yet. Can you tell me?"

"Why do you wish to know?" asked Kanon. "I am only furniture."

"Because I don't believe you are furniture," said Jessica, slipping her hand into his. "Remember what we talked about earlier? We were going to say 'to hell with everyone' and start going out together...as a real couple."

"Jessica," said Kanon, "I will not deny that I hold feelings for you...but I need more confidence."

Jessica sat closer to Kanon. She whispered in his ear, "Does _this_ give you any confidence?" She then leaned over to his face and gently meshed her lips with his. Kanon gently wrapped his arms around her...

_BANG!_

They separated at the sound of banging coming from the other side of the door. "Oh no," said Jessica, blanching. "That sounds just like...like those _things_ that tried to break in..."

_BANG!_

Kanon stood up off the bed. He turned to Jessica and said, "Jessica, do you still have your brass knuckles with you?"

* * *

"Look at that," whispered Shannon as she stood next to George in the cellar. Maria had cried herself to sleep and was now lying on the floor curled up in a ball, her thumb a few inches away from her mouth. "Isn't that just adorable?"

"It sure is," said George. "I don't know what happened out there...but I think it's safe to say Maria's mother is gone."

"What's going to happen to her?" asked Shannon worriedly.

"I don't know," said George. "Maybe she'll live with Uncle Krauss and Aunt Natsuhi on the island. Or maybe she'll go off to one of our other relatives..."

He and Shannon stood above Maria, feeling all of a sudden like a couple watching their daughter taking a nap to make sure she would stay asleep and not run off when they weren't looking. At this thought, Shannon smiled over at George and the two shared a hug.

_BANG! BANG!_

The two were startled by the banging noise. "That had better not be what I think it is," muttered George.

* * *

"Mammon?"

Mammon turned to Ange's innocent voice. The two were hid in Kinzo's study, in hopes that this would be the last place anyone would find them. "Yes, Ange?"

"How do you know me?" asked Ange. "I mean...you look kind of familiar...I feel like I know you from somewhere before."

"Well, maybe we _did_ meet elsewhere once upon a time," shrugged Mammon. "Your cause is important to me...there might have been another world where your brother and your parents never came home. I felt for you, and vowed to do whatever I could to help you."

"Really?" said Ange, wide-eyed. "What happened? Is it going to happen?"

Mammon smiled. "No, Ange. The probability of it happening again is zero to nothing."

_BANG!_

"Mammon?" said Ange, all of a sudden terrified. "Why does that banging noise sound familiar?"

* * *

Battler and Beato ran blindly, hoping to be able to defeat the remaining goats before it was too late. There was nowhere near as many as before; that had to be a good sign Bernkastel was getting weak. But there were enough to do considerable damage.

"Where are we?" panted Beato, beginning to wear out.

Battler stopped to observe his surroundings. "I'm pretty sure this hallway leads to Jessica's room," he said. "And by the looks of things, there are a few goats trying to get in!"

Indeed, standing just outside Jessica's doorway was a pack of goats each ramming their sides through the door in an attempt to break it down. That the door might possibly be unlocked was not a thought occurring to these creatures.

"Hey!" cried out Battler, running up to the demon goat butlers. "Step away from that door!"

The demon goats stopped ramming and started turning in Battler's direction. Their eyes glowed red, causing Battler to laugh nervously. He closed his eyes, imagined the goats falling to their feet, and, with a sweep of his hand, made this possible for at least five of the goats. When he opened his eyes, however, he was dismayed to find he still had seven left.

Beato grabbed a nearby candlestick and ran towards three of the goats, knocking each of them over the head with it. Battler came to his senses and used his powers to knock over as many of the remaining goats as possible right before making them disappear into golden butterflies. However, Battler and Beato's strategy succeeded with only five of the goats...they still had two left to go...

"Damn it!" groaned Battler.

"No, we can still take them out, if only temporarily," said Beato fiercely. She said this was a false confidence, however, for she had dropped the candlestick in the midst of her fighting and it lay at the goats' feet. She could not get it without risking getting eating herself. And she already had the 'pleasure' of being eaten by goats once—she did not wish to go through it again.

Just as hope seemed lost for Battler and Beato, the door to Jessica's room burst open and out came Kanon wielding a red sword. With a fierce cry, he sliced right through one demon goat's jacket, causing it to gasp and take a step back as though in shame. He was quickly joined by Jessica, who used her brass knuckles to knock the second demon goat over. Both turned into golden butterflies within seconds.

"Let it hence forth be known," said Kanon, a look of determination in his eyes, "that from this moment on, I will never again be furniture. I am not furniture. I am not Kanon. I am...human. And my real name is _Kisho_—meaning 'one who knows his own mind'. And I wasn't sure just what to make of my mind until now...I have to break through when the people I love are in danger."

He looked over at Jessica as he said this. She smiled. "Kisho...what a nice name."

Battler did not want to interrupt the sweet moment, but he had to. He cleared his throat and said, "You know, there are still plenty of demon goat butlers at large in the mansion that we have yet to defeat."

"Right," said Jessica awkwardly, smiling and blushing at Kanon—who was now Kisho. "So, uh...what should we do?"

"Battler-kun," said Beato, "you need to go after Ange right now. Take one of these two with you. The other and I will find the others."

"Are you sure?" said Battler, reluctant to leave Beato behind for any purpose, even if she was capable of handling it on her own.

Beato nodded. "Yes," she said. "I am sure. Besides...I have some issues I need to resolve with Teacher."

"Ah," said Battler, understanding what Beato wanted to do. "I see." He turned to Jessica and Kisho. "Jessica," he said, "I'll need you to come with me. We need to rescue Ange and get her out of here. Kanon—er, I mean Kisho—go with Beato. And do whatever you can to keep her safe."

"I will," said Kisho obediently.

Before leaving, Beato gave Battler a peck on the cheek and said, "Good luck, Battler-kun." She smiled at him before leaving with Kisho.

Saddened, Battler was tempted to sweep Beato up in his arms and kiss her madly, but he knew there was no time to do so until after everything had settled down. Jessica smiled and said, "Don't think I couldn't hear even a little bit of what you said to her last night—you love her, don't you?"

Battler nodded. "More than I ever realized," he said softly.

There was a loud shriek that caused Battler and Jessica's heads to turn. "That sounded like it was coming from Kinzo's study!" he said.

The two cousins ran down the hall and to the study, where the doors had already been burst open by another pack of demon goat butlers, who were beginning to flood in. Battler used his powers to once again knock over the goats blocking his way, and they fell down like bowling pins. He and Jessica ran right past them only to see Ange standing on the desk with Mammon standing in front of her.

Nonetheless, Battler cried out, "Ange!"

"Onii-chan!" cried out Ange. She was about to jump right off the desk when Mammon held her back. "Not yet, Ange," she said. "The danger's not out of the way."

"But it soon will be!" declared Jessica, who began wildly punching the demon goats left and right with her brass knuckles, knocking each of them to the ground and turning few (_very_ few) into butterflies. Battler also held off the other demon goats for as long as he could by stunning them with his magic, but it soon became apparent that even with Jessica and Battler in combination as a great team, they were vastly outnumbered.

"Ange," said Mammon, "stay on the table. I'm going in."

"M...Mammon?" said Ange curiously.

Within seconds, Mammon had turned into a stake and went flying around the room until she had struck one demon goat right through the head, causing it to disappear in a burst of gold.

"This is more like it!" said Battler, relieved to have back-up. "Okay, um...the other six stakes, I command you to appear before me!"

One by one, each of Mammon's sisters appeared and they, too, bounced around the room giddily in their stake form, each piercing the goats through the head, causing them to turn into golden butterflies, until at last, there was just one left...and that one goat was heading toward Ange!

"Onii-chan!" screamed Ange, who fell off the table and into the arms of the goat, who began to stretch Ange's limbs. _"Onii-chan, help meeeeee!"_

In a flash, Battler saw it—he had not witnessed it, but he _saw_ it—the flesh slowly being torn off Ange's skin piece by piece, Ange smiling through her tears of pain, whispering in his ear telling him to come home...

Battler let out a fierce cry and went charging towards the demon goat, kicking it square in the face, causing it to drop Ange. He gave it one final punch and just like that, it vanished.

"Onii-chan?" said Ange, amazed by her brother's abilities.

Battler could not hold back the tears. He swept Ange up in his arms and gave her a long, tight hug. "I'll never fail you again, Ange," he whispered. "Never again. Let's get out of here."

* * *

Beato remembered last seeing Ronove somewhere at around the foot of the stairs the last time she had stood at the top. He was no longer there, but she felt he _had_ to be around _somewhere._ She hoped the demon goats hadn't got him.

"Ronove?" called out Beato as she and Kisho made their way down the stairs. "Ronove?"

"Lady Beatrice!"

Beato and Kisho turned their heads at the sound of footsteps. They ran down the rest of the stairs and found Ronove, who was alive but with parts of his clothing in tatters.

"Ronove!" gasped Beato. "What happened?"

"There was a bit of a struggle," said Ronove, simply shrugging. "But no need to worry—Kumasawa now has Lady Virgilia in her possession. She assured me that she would be safe with her."

"And where would Kumasawa be?" asked Beato.

"Last time I checked, she and the other servants had Lady Virgilia in the kitchen," said Ronove. "They lay her down on the floor and did what they could to make her comfortable—Kumasawa went through the same process you went through just a week ago, you see. It was in a vain attempt to make Kinzo fall out of love with her."

Beato then said, "Ronove, take this young man outside with you. I think it would be better if he were not there to witness whatever I may have to say to Teacher."

"Are you sure?" said Kisho. "I was given orders to protect you."

"You are no longer furniture, Kisho," said Beato. "You don't need to take orders from anyone anymore."

"I know," said Kisho. "I plan to follow through on those orders as a friend."

Beato smiled. "How nice of you. But rest assured—I am capable of handling this on my own. If anything happens to me, I only have myself to blame. Now go outside with Ronove."

Kisho looked over at Ronove who said, "Rest assured, this young lady just might be able to hold her own. And besides, the last time I checked the kitchen, it was perfectly safe."

* * *

Of course, this was back when _Ronove_ had checked the kitchen. When Beato arrived, it did not take her very long to figure out what had happened since then...Kumasawa, Gohda, Dr. Nanjo, and Genji were all tied up and laid on the kitchen counter as though in preparation for a tasty feast, as made clear by the giddiness from the goats surrounding them. Virgilia lay, as told, on the floor with a blanket just lightly placed onto her, her eyes shut tight, her face flushed from fever. Standing just above her were two hungry-looking demon goats. One of them was about to devour her when...

_BANG!_

Beato had ran across the room, picked up a pot, and banged it over his head, causing him to stumble, but not disappear. The other goats standing all looked at her in surprise. To let them know how serious she was, Beato undid her bun, then her braid, and shook her hair loose and it all came tumbling down. She stared them right in the eye, letting them know she was not afraid.

Two of the demon goats came charging at her, but she picked up a nearby pan and used it bang one goat over the head which caused it to stumble, then picked up a knife and used it to stab the other one, causing it to disappear in a flock of golden butterflies.

_Good,_ thought Beato as the others came charging at her. _As long as I can keep up this routine until all of them are gone, I should be all right._

And on it went—alternating between stabbing demon goats to make them disappear, and using the pan to stun the remaining few, Beato was on a roll, spinning around at every turn to make sure she had not missed any goats.

"Oh my..." said Gohda, clearly impressed. "Who would've ever thought it?"

"I know," said Kumasawa, smiling. "She gets her fighting skills from her mother."

Beato spun around. They were all gone...

She gasped when she felt one come up from behind her and lift her up. She dropped her only weapons in shock...

...and her knife fell right beside Virgilia, who had just begun to wake up, suffering from a pounding headache. She forced herself to open her eyes, sensing her daughter was in danger. Her arms felt too weak to move, but she forced her arm to slide across towards the knife and stab the demon goat right through the foot. Just like that, it disappeared in a burst of gold and Beato fell to the ground, her heart beating wildly.

"Beato..."

Beato turned to face Virgilia. She could tell that Virgilia was forcing herself to open her eyes, and that to do so was painful for her. She said, "Don't..."

"Beato," said Virgilia, trying to find the words to speak before she slipped back into unconsciousness, "you...you can...you can leave Ro...Rokkenjima...it's all right. You...have my blessing."

Beato tried to find the words to say, but could only say, "Teacher..."

"That...that boy, Battler...he is...truly a great man," said Virgilia, smiling a small smile. "He would be good for you...you need to...get...away. Don't...don't worry about me. We'll...work something out...together...eventually. For now...just go."

Beato croaked, "Teacher..."

"I...I only want you to be happy," spoke Virgilia, tear drops rolling down her cheeks. "That's all I want...I am glad...to see you happy...I wish there was...more I could say, but...for now, let me say this much..."

"Teacher," said Beato, feeling tears come to her eyes.

"You make me proud," said Virgilia, curling her hand up into Beato's hand. "You...make me proud...to have you...as a disciple...and a daughter."

"Teacher," whispered Beato, suddenly longing to say more. "Teacher? TEACHER?!?...Mother?"

Virgilia had gone back to sleep...and she slept with a smile on her face.

"Beato. Come over here."

Beato stood up at the sound of Kumasawa's voice. Then, she reluctantly let go of Virgilia's hand. She blinked and hot tears stung her eyes. She blinked once more and felt the tears gently roll down her cheeks as she walked over to Kumasawa and began to untie her.

"So you know about your mother, huh," said Kumasawa.

Beato nodded and undid various tight knots. "I know I was fooled into thinking my real mother was dead, and that my father actually _wanted_ me...when she's been alive all this time...and my father hated me."

"Beato," said Kumasawa gently, speaking with an almost grandmotherly tone, "your father may not have wanted you around, but guess what? Your mother did. I didn't approve of what my disciple had done...but I approved at how she had protected you."

"You didn't exactly stick around with her," said Beato harshly.

"That much is true," sighed Kumasawa. "But I was afraid to see her make the same mistake I had made...falling for a married man. And when she _had_ done that, and became pregnant, I was scared of the isolation she would have to go through. But...on the night she went into labour, and Dr. Nanjo was called up to come over to Kuwadorian, I went with him. And I stayed with her all through the night, and I was there to hold her hand as she gave birth to you the next morning."

Beato gulped and said, "My father didn't want me...I know. I know how Teacher called him back...and he called me 'that thing'. He said...he said I was just a reflection of his mistake."

"Who told you all this?" said Kumasawa. "Just curious."

Beato paused before saying, "Another witch."

"Ah," said Kumasawa. "Well, witches can be mighty cruel, can't they? It figures they would only show you the bad and not the good...Christopher Lombardi may have impregnated Virgilia with you, but Ronove was the one who stuck around to help her throughout her pregnancy, and to help raise you throughout the years. He couldn't provide her much as a lover, but he was there for her as a friend. Remember, it is bonds that make a family, not blood. Ronove and Virgilia both wanted you around and embraced you. That's what makes them your family."

This did not ease up the boiling hot tears pouring down Beato's face. She gulped and said, "W, well...I'm done. Now I...I guess I'll move on to the other two."

* * *

Shannon and George were relieved when the banging noise finally stopped. They were a bit perplexed, however, to see golden butterflies seep right through the door and fly around, so they went upstairs to see what was going on. Maria had only barely begun to witness this; she was slowly waking up. She blinked away hot tears and whispered, "Sakutaro...uu, Sakutaro..."

"Uryuu..."

Maria lifted her face up from her sleeve. "S...Sakutaro?" she whispered.

Before her eyes, a small boy with blonde hair wearing an oversized lion costume appeared. He looked nervous, but also rather cuddly.

"Sakutaro!" said Maria excitedly. She got up to her feet and wrapped her arms around Sakutaro, nearly squishing him in a tight hug. "Mama promised to repair you! She promised that as soon as we got off the island, she..."

Her arms fell by her side, and she grew sad. "But mama can't do that now...if magic truly exists to make people happy, then why is Maria sad? I guess that's because...magic really doesn't..."

"Uryuu!" said Sakutaro. "Magic exists! It was Maria's magic that brought Sakutaro back! You were beginning to believe again! You brought me back through your own belief!"

"I...I did?" said Maria, beginning to smile through her tears.

"Uryuu!" nodded Sakutaro enthusiastically. "Maria, why don't you take a walk for a little while? Just don't go too far, okay?"

"Uu!" said Maria. "Maria will never let go of Sakutaro again, never ever!"

"It's okay to let me go for now, Maria," said Sakutaro, smiling. "Just go. Go on outside and make yourself happy."

"Uu!" said Maria, giving Sakutaro one last hug before leaving through the door leading outside.

* * *

Battler, Jessica, Ange, and the Stakes met up with Beato, Genji, Gohda, Dr. Nanjo, and Kumasawa in the main hall. "Glad to see everyone's safe!" said Battler. "That should be the last of Bernkastel's army...ihihihi, looks like this is checkmate!"

"Now let's not get _too_ overconfident of our victory just yet," said Kumasawa warningly. "We need to go outside and make sure everyone is gathered."

"And...Virgilia...?" said Battler.

"Gaap stopped by just before we left," said Beato. "She said she would take...Teacher...back to the guest house and keep her there for safe-keeping."

"Good!" sighed Battler. "So all we have to do now is get George, Shannon, and Maria, take them outside, wait a little bit to make sure that is absolutely the _last_ trick, and we should all be safe!"

Battler had spoke too soon for at that moment, George and Shannon came running up to the two groups. They were not sure what all these people were doing here, but Shannon spoke: "Has anyone seen Maria? We last left her in the basement just to see what was going on, but when we came back to check on her, she was gone!"

Beato groaned, "Oh _no..._look, just let me find her. She's bound to be around somewhere."

"Beato," Battler began to say, but Beato cut him off: "I know her just about as well as you all do, if not more so than. I think I know where she may have gone off to..."

* * *

Maria sat down on the benches inside the chapel. She smiled at the peaceful setting. She felt perfectly safe inside this nice, old place...as though nothing could ever harm her, or come between her and those she loved...her own version of the Golden Land...

Maria turned at the sound of the chapel doors opening. "Beato?" she said.

Beato came running in and found Maria. "Just where I thought you would be," she sighed. "Come, Maria...we have to go outside now to wait for just a little bit."

Maria shook her head. "Want to stay here."

"Maria," said Beato, "do you really feel comfortable staying in this big, old chapel all alone without anyone to keep you company?"

"No," said Maria. She smiled and gave Beato a hug. "Now I have you."

Beato smiled at the poor child. "Maria," she said gently, "I cannot stay in here all night, and neither can you. Come with me, and I'll take you outside for a little bit, okay?"

Maria seemed hesitant. She let go of Beato and sighed, "Okay, Beato."

Before the two had a chance to set another foot forward, there was a low rumble from beneath the ground, and the building began to shake. There was an earthquake at sea...a very small one, yet enough to do significant damage to this old building...

Beato looked up and saw cracks slowly beginning to form in the ceiling. She knew then it was dangerous for them to stay one minute longer.

"Beato, what's happening?" said Maria, growing frightened.

"I think we have an earthquake on our hands," said Beato, noticing the ceiling beginning to crumble, bits and pieces of it falling down. "Maria, we have to leave _now."_

"Uu, no!" cried out Maria, clinging to Beato's dress, now scared.

Beato somehow made her way through the trembling earth, skilfully helping Maria to avoid the falling ceiling. It wouldn't be much longer before the entire building collapsed. They had to hurry.

Beato finally made it the front doors. She burst open the double doors and said, "Maria, _go."_

"Uu, not without you!" cried Maria.

Beato was about to respond to that when a sudden, violent jerk threw her down to the ground, causing Maria to cry out once more. Beato was not sure if she was going to be able to stand up and run with Maria in her arms...

Beato grabbed onto the doorknob, used it to pull herself up as much as she could, grabbed Maria with the other hand, used both arms to grab a hold of her, and threw her out of the building, bouncing onto the grass, before Beato collapsed to the ground.

* * *

The earthquake subsided within a few minutes, but it left everyone standing outside a bit shook up.

"W, wow!" gasped Jessica, standing up with Kisho's help. "T—that was something, huh!"

"At least it didn't last for very long," said George, though both he and Shannon were trembling from the aftershock, clinging onto each other for dear life.

"Wait," said Battler sharply, stepping forward. "Where's Beato? Where's Maria? They were supposed to meet us back here, in the rose garden."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," said Kumasawa, "but I swear I heard something that sounded an awful lot like some sort of building collapsing in the background. Come to think of it, that chapel _is_ rather old..."

"Well, maybe they weren't inside the chapel," suggested Battler, trying to ignore a nagging suspicion that something had gone horribly wrong. "Maybe they were outside the entire time. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to go take a look."

Battler had not _intended_ to run, but somehow, he found himself running down the path to the chapel, everyone following close behind him, silently praying, _Please let everything be okay, please let everything be okay..._

"Maria!" he gasped when he saw Maria lying on the ground. She, too, was trembling, though whether it was from aftershock or fear or possibly both he did not know. He ran up to his trembling cousin and said, "Maria, are you okay?"

Maria looked up, her eyes wide. "Where's Beato?"

"Well, where was she the last time you saw her?" asked Battler, his heart beginning to sink.

"She was in the chapel with Maria," Maria explained. "And she threw Maria out right before..."

"Battler," whispered Jessica, pointing a trembling finger at something just a few feet ahead of them.

Battler slowly turned around and what he saw nearly caused his heart to stop beating—the chapel had collapsed from the earthquake, and now lay in a pile of ruins.

And lying right underneath a pile of rubble was Beato, half her body crushed by the debris, herself barely conscious.


	24. One Last Move

**One Last Move**

"Beato!" cried Battler. He ran to the remains of the chapel and up to the horribly broken body of Beato. He tried lifting up the heavy bits of debris, but it was to no avail. He called out over his shoulder, "I need a bit of help here!"

George, Genji, and Dr. Nanjo all ran up to the crumbled remains. Maria stood in the background, tears forming in her eyes, refusing to believe she was losing both her mother _and_ her idol in one night. "Beato..." she whispered.

A loud cackle startled everyone, but Battler said quickly, "Get back to work! I'll handle this!" He spun around to face a smirking Lambdadelta, who stood just a few feet in front of Battler.

"Isn't this _great?"_ she said. "Just when I thought my powers would _never_ work, I finally manage to make that chapel collapse! And now your beloved Be-a-to is lying on the ground, on the verge of _death,_ hah-hah! Your little scheme to bring her back to life may have worked _once,_ but I can with certainty it will _not_ work again! Ah, isn't this sad—to realize you love her just as you're about to lose her, hah-hah!"

Battler clenched his fists, feeling a hot rage, but then he suddenly remembered something...what Jessica had said the first day he arrived...

"Did you say _you_ caused the chapel to collapse?" said Battler.

"I can say with certainty that I, Lady Lambdadelta, caused this tragedy to occur!" boasted Lambdadelta.

"And you say that with absolute certainty, huh?" said Battler.

"Duh, of course," scoffed Lambdadelta, rolling her eyes.

"That would be a very interesting story indeed," nodded Battler. "However...I don't quite believe it."

"You _don't?"_ laughed Lambdadelta. "Silly boy, of course I caused this disaster to occur!"

"_How_ did you cause it to occur?" asked Battler.

At this, Lambdadelta seemed to sweat. She laughed, "Well, uh—with magic, of course!"

"Just now, there was an earthquake," said Battler. "Earthquakes are perfectly natural disasters that can occur even at sea. Are you saying _you_ caused the earthquake?"

"Uh, yeah!" laughed Lambdadelta, although she laughed with a nervous laugh. "Of course!"

Battler gave her the pointer finger. "Then explain this!" he dramatically declared. "If you had almost no control over the set-up of the first game, then how did you make the chapel begin to crumble?"

Lambdadelta blinked. "Say what?"

"When my family and I first arrived," said Battler, "Jessica had a bandage on her forehead. She claimed to have been walking right by the chapel when a roof shingle fell and hit her on the head! Isn't that right?"

Jessica, surprised that Battler actually _remembered_ that, said, "Yeah, I remember now...I was taking a walk around the chapel, and a roof shingle fell and hit me on the head."

"Exactly!" said Battler dramatically. "That chapel has been around for _years—_it is said that Kinzo had it built so that he could one day marry Beato inside that very chapel! It would've had to have been around for forty years at least!"

"Yeah?" said Lambdadelta nervously. "What's your point?"

"My point," said Battler, "is that the chapel has been around long enough that _anything _could've caused it to collapse! All it took would be one earthquake, no matter how big or small, to give it cause to come tumbling down completely!"

Lambdadelta tried to get away, but then her feet froze up. She struggled to get away, but Battler declared: "Therefore...you claim to have caused the chapel to collapse when in truth, _it was the earthquake that caused it to collapse! Therefore, you do not exist!"_

"_You can't do this to me!"_ shrieked Lambdadelta. _"I was the one who made you—"_

But before she could finish that sentence, she had completely frozen up in an ice statue and disappeared in a burst of gold. Battler was satisfied at having defeated Lambdadelta...but he still had one last issue to deal with.

"We've got her!" called out George, having just removed the last piece of rubble off of Beato. Dr. Nanjo removed her from the pile and she moaned as though in pain.

His heart racing, Battler ran up to the injured Beato and held her in his arms. "Beato, can you hear me?" he said, gently shaking her. "Beato?"

Dr. Nanjo smiled sadly. "I'm afraid you don't need me to tell you this young woman does not have very long to live unless a miracle occurs."

And it was indeed true...her legs were broken as were her ribs, there was a deep gash in one of her legs, her arms were crushed, her skin was pale from blood loss, and she was coughing up blood, indicating deep, internal injuries.

"Beato," whispered Battler, part of her blood having made it onto his jacket. "Beato..."

"B...Battler-kun..." said Beato weakly, her breathing sounded ragged. "If...if this is to be...the last moment of my life...I'm glad I spent my last week with you." She coughed up blood once more.

"Don't speak," said Battler quickly. "Just relax. I...I'll get you out of this, I promise." He remembered that although he no longer possessed the power to revive the dead, he could still heal even those on the verge of death. He was struggling now to remember what it was he had to do...

"I'm sorry...for everything," whispered Beato.

"Don't talk like you're going to _die,_ damn it!" said Battler fiercely. "I'm going to try...I'm going to _try_ to heal you before..."

"Battler-kun," said Beato weakly, "if...if you are unable to..."

"I _can,"_ choked out Battler, tears flowing down his face and lightly splashing Beato's dress. "And I _will."_

Beato forced a weak smile and said, "I love you."

"Beato..."

"...I've...always...loved you..."

"_BEATOOO!"_

* * *

There was a flash of white, nearly blinding the witnesses to this tragic sight. They all turned away, closing their eyes, wondering what was happening. Then...when the light faded out and they all turned back...what they saw amazed them...

* * *

Beato opened up her eyes. Just a few seconds ago, she was in pain that was almost as bad as her power-revoking process (the one thing that separated this from that was the sensation of being on fire missing), and she could barely breathe...she had to use her last breath to confess her feelings to him. The world around her had slowly started to fade out...

And now here she was, able to breathe without discomfort, no longer in any sort of pain. And she was staring right into the face of the man she loved.

Battler gulped at the sight. He had succeeded. He had saved Beato from death. She had no body parts broken, nor were there any wounds, and the colour returned to her cheeks; she had been completely healed. "Beato..." he whispered, now shedding tears of joy.

"Battler-kun!" gasped Beato, now more grateful than ever to be alive. She wrapped her arms around Battler and the two shared a long, loving embrace. Everyone standing around them was not quite sure of what was going on, save Maria who managed to look up and cry out, "Beato!" She ran up to the two of them and managed to get in on the hug.

Yes, everything was folding out nicely just like a nice little fairy tale...

"How sweet," spoke up a familiar voice. "It's almost sickening."

Battler let go of Beato and spun around. "Bernkastel!" he gasped.

Standing right before them was Frederica Bernkastel who spoke: "I am not here to cause you harm. My power is now weak, and I am without an army by my side. Therefore, I have no choice but to admit defeat."

"So why _are_ you here, then?" said Battler suspiciously.

"I am here," said Bernkastel, "to offer my words of congratulations...for managing to break free through the eternal loop of October 1986. It is a miracle I have not seen in a long, _long_ time. It is a miracle that I had to strive to create in the world I come from...or at least, the miracle my creator strived to create. It is from that little girl that I, Frederica Bernkastel, was born, composed of the many different past versions of the girl who died, eventually becoming what I am today...yes, it was indeed a true miracle that I never thought I would live to see happen twice."

She smiled at the stunned couple. "I congratulate you both for creating such a miracle...and for creating your own happy ending. Or should I say, your own happy _beginning?_"

"Bernkastel," said Battler, "I do not wish to be the Endless Sorcerer, nor do I wish to pass on the name of Beatrice to anyone else. I will allow these magic beings to exist to help young Maria...but I think it is time to end the legend of the witch. And so I ask of you to please, revoke my powers."

"Battler-kun," said Beato sharply, "are you sure?"

"I am quite sure," said Battler. "I have thought it over, and I have decided to live a normal life."

"If you say so," said Beato warningly.

Berkastel looked right at Battler and declared, _"Ushiromiya Battler...you are a truly worthy and competent mortal, but an incompetent sorcerer!"_

There was a bright light and then Battler collapsed to the ground. Bernkastel then said, "Now if you will excuse me, I need to go now...I need to go off to be with my Lambdadelta for all eternity."

With a smile, she said, "Nipah!" And just like that, she vanished.

Beato helped Battler get to his feet, though he stumbled a bit. He hadn't realized how _heavy_ he would feel...he had gotten used to feeling light as a feather during his time as the Endless Sorcerer.

"No one's ever going to believe us!" exclaimed Ange.

"And that is why no one will ever know," said Battler, struggling to hang onto Beato, who jokingly said, "Watch your hands, Battler-kun. Make sure they don't 'accidentally' move anywhere I would not want them to!" But it was clear from her face that she was glad all this drama was finally over...that she would finally get to leave Rokkenjima and see what was beyond her lifelong confinement.

The group turned their heads at the sound of footsteps. The parents, having woken up in their beds (and being woken up by the earlier earthquake), were running towards the couple, wondering why everyone was outside. "Battler!" said Rudolf and Kyrie.

"Mom! Dad!" cried out Battler, beginning to reach one hand towards them, but then suddenly letting out a cry of pain after being struck by a sudden sharp feeling in his chest.

"Battler-kun!" cried out Beato, holding an agonized Battler in her arms while everyone else gathered around the couple, unsure of what had just happened...yet knowing they would surely never forget it.


	25. Epilogue A

Epilogue (A)

_October 11, 1986_

"Oww," Battler moaned as he opened his eyes. He was getting better bit by bit as his pain attacks grew less frequent, but right now as he woke up, his head was ready to split open.

"Now don't be a baby," said Beato teasingly. She was sitting down on the bed, placing a cool washcloth to his forehead, wearing her Zettai Ryouiki outfit with her hair down. The two were in Battler's home, the place Battler never thought he would get to see ever again...ever.

"My head hurts," murmured Battler.

"I know the feeling," said Beato, her voice sounding genuine and sympathetic. "Believe me...I _really_ know how it feels. But you should be getting better really soon."

Battler's headache began to subside. He now had the strength to sit up in bed. As he did, he said, "So how much has been going on since I was out of commission?"

"Oh, not that much, if you don't count _endless_ interviews with the police," said Beato nonchalantly.

Battler suddenly remembered in a flash. "Rosa," he muttered. "What are we going to say about _her?"_

"That's been taken care of," said Beato. "After you fell unconscious and I took you inside to the guest house, I told your relatives she went out on a hunting trip with some of the other servants and she was accidentally shot and killed." She lightly laughed, "Of course, when I went to the other servants and told them about it, Gohda had to then shoot himself in the foot to verify he really was a lousy shot. But he'll get over it."

Battler adjusted his pillow so he would feel more comfortable sitting up. "So no one was suspicious about getting knocked out by me?"

"We told them they all went back to bed and just didn't remember it," said Beato, who picked up a cup of yogurt on Battler's nightstand. "Now open up your mouth."

Battler obediently opened up his mouth for Beato to shove a spoonful of yogurt into. "Good boy," she said teasingly. "My, I could get used to playing the role of the nurse."

"So, _nurse,"_ said Battler, "What's going to happen to Maria?"

"Natsuhi and Krauss have taken her in," explained Beato, stirring up the yogurt. "The paperwork was completed this morning."

"And _how_ have you been explaining my condition to my parents again?" said Battler. "I vaguely remember hearing you give me an explanation, but I was too tired to remember."

"I told them I caught some rare virus that can only survive in Rokkenjima's climate, and you caught it from me," replied Beato, putting down the cup of yogurt. "I also told them it is totally treatable and curable without doctors, and that you should stay in bed for the next week or so."

"Damn it," groaned Battler. "I'm going to have a _lot_ to catch up on."

"Oh, that's been taken care of," said Beato. "Your teachers know of your situation, and are sending your homework here, most of which I did for you. Most of it was...easy enough...of course, I needed a bit of help from Kyrie, but..."

"And how are you adjusting to life around here?" asked Battler. "I hope the change wasn't _too_ drastic for you."

"Well, what can you expect when you move away from your only home for the very first time?" said Beato. "I had enough time to go back to Kuwadorian and pack up some of my various clothes and items that I did not want to part with. Then I ran all the way to the mansion without turning back...this all took place in the early hours of the morning, you see. We left in the evening of October fifth. It took a _lot _of convincing for me to assure your parents and sister you would be okay. I did at least get a chance to say goodbye to..."

Her voice faltered, but she went on: "Anyway...it took an equal amount of convincing for your parents to let me stay with them, but as you can see, they eventually let me go after I had them talk to..."

"To Virgilia?" finished Battler, understanding that Beato was still conflicted over what to call her now.

Beato nodded and added, "The funny thing is, I was given that guest room you spoke of...but I've been spending more time in your room than in that room, taking care of you."

"You didn't have to," said Battler. "My parents would've been able."

"Oh, they've been in here a couple times," said Beato. "But you were there for me when I went through this." She stroked his cheek. "It's only fair I return the favour." She tilted his chin up, leaned in, and lightly kissed him on the lips before pulling back.

Just then, there was a light knock on the door. In came Kyrie who said, "Ah, good. You're up. Beato, you have a visitor waiting for you downstairs."

Beato turned to face Battler who said, "You can go. Kyrie...I mean, mom...is here now."

* * *

"Who is _this_ beautiful stranger, eh?" said Rudolf, wriggling his eyebrows at the woman standing next to Kumasawa.

"I am your future daughter-in-law's _mother, _thank you very much," said Virgilia with a weak smile.

"Oh," said Rudolf, blinking. "Well, ah...have a seat?"

"Don't mind if I do," sighed Virgilia, feeling weak and exhausted from both her condition, and the long journey she and Kumasawa had taken. "I don't feel very good, I'm afraid."

"Ah," said Rudolf. "Beato said you also had that weird virus?"

"Oh yes," said Virgilia, who sat down in the living room with Kumasawa's help. "I still have it, all right...it's not as bad as last week, but I still feel exhausted. If I happen to start gasping for air all of a sudden, don't worry about me."

Her head turned at the sound of footsteps. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Despite the fact that reverting back to mortal was indeed every bit as painful as described to her by other former witches, she felt she had to come here...she could not wait any longer. She _had_ to come, to make things right.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a girl...no, not a _girl;_ a _woman_...a woman with long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and an expression that was both curious to know her mother, yet _scared_ to know her.

It was her daughter, Beato.

"What are you doing here?" asked Beato curiously.

"I've been doing some thinking," replied Virgilia. "And I think it is about time we had a private talk." She turned to Kumasawa and Rudolf. She said, "I would prefer it if the two of you left."

"I'll keep Ange busy, if that's what you want," said Rudolf.

"That would be lovely," said Virgilia.

"Oh, I've got a few stories about my mackerel-cooking abilities to tell her, all right!" declared Kumasawa, and the two of them left, leaving behind mother and daughter.

Beato stood there for nearly a minute and a half before finally sitting down on the couch next to Virgilia. The only sound was that of the clock ticking. Beato tugged at the collar of her blouse before she finally said, "This is about last week, isn't it."

"Yes," said Virgilia. "Yes, it is. I wish we had more time _then_ to talk, but..."

"Well, in case you didn't notice, we _were_ kind of busy defeating an army of demon goat butlers," said Beato light-heartedly.

"So I am told," said Virgilia. Then, "Beato...there was a moment once when I resolved to myself to never tell you the truth about your parents. That moment was that night...that night Kinzo assaulted you."

Beato winced at the memory. Virgilia quickly added, "I'm sorry to bring up painful memories, but...seeing you upset the way you were, seeing you crying about how Battler was never coming back, made me realize something: You have seen enough misery in your lifetime. You did not deserve anymore. I had reached the conclusion a long time ago that it was better for you to feel loved and wanted, not hated and rejected as you would feel if you knew...but that was the night where I felt it the strongest."

Beato had a moment of silence before saying, "I think I understand...you just wanted me to be happy, to feel that I wasn't a mistake."

"Exactly," said Virgilia, gently holding Beato's hand. "And as for what you were shown in that trip to the past...don't think on it. Even if _he_ did not want you, _I_ wanted you."

"I've had time to think about it," said Beato slowly. "And...even during the years where I had no idea you were my mother and only viewed you as my teacher, I still felt an attachment to you. You were always there to get me out of trouble, or to give me advice. It was you who introduced me to the joys of magic. I owe a part of who I am today to you." She lightly chuckled, "Except for the part of me was arrogant and enjoyed playing pranks...that was just me. Although, I did enjoy the fun I had with you, even if I caused you trouble. But I am sorry for that. I'll be more responsible from now on."

Tears brimmed Virgilia's eyes. This speech was not the speech of a childish adult...it was that of a woman. Beato had grown up...or at least, was well on the path _to_ growing up. She spoke: "I think you are going to do just fine without me."

"But I don't want you to leave!" said Beato quickly. "I want you to stay somewhere close by! Now that I know how we're _really_ connected, I..."

"Until we can work out a more practical solution—and it will be some time before we can—you will have to do without me for the time being," said Virgilia, smiling a bittersweet smile. "You cannot hold onto me forever. You need to let go. It is time for you to leave the nest. I've accepted that. You've wanted to get off the island all your life, and now you're off. Go on, live your life. Do all the things you've longed to do. As soon as Battler is feeling better, the two of you can go to movies, or to a zoo, or even ride a rollercoaster together...after he does his homework, that is. Besides, I don't think you really _need_ me anymore."

"But," said Beato, tears coming to her eyes, "I _want_ you around."

"Beato," said Virgilia gently, "we won't be saying goodbye forever. I'll come by to visit you during the holidays, or you could come by to visit me every so often. Besides, even if we do make some sort of arrangement where I can stay nearby, you won't even need me. I think you can take care of yourself by now. You have Battler and his family to help you if you need them."

Beato blinked and two teardrops fell down her cheeks. "You'll definitely come to my wedding with Battler, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," said Virgilia. "When are you getting married?"

"We haven't worked out an exact date just yet," said Beato, trying to keep herself composed, "but Battler thinks maybe some time after George and Shannon's wedding...maybe during the summer, or..."

She could no longer hold it back; she let out a sob and pulled Virgilia in for a hug, which she gladly returned. "What should I call you now?" asked Beato, hoping her teardrops would not stain Virgilia's dress. "Teacher? Mother?"

"Whatever you feel comfortable with," was Virgilia's reply.

Beato sniffled. "Okay then...mother."

* * *

"Here is a yummy bowl of chicken soup, onii-chan," announced Ange as she and Rudolf brought a tray carrying a bowl of chicken soup up to Battler's room.

"This looks delicious," said Battler as the tray was placed down onto the bed. "Thank you, dad."

"You're welcome, son," said Rudolf, smiling at Battler. "How do you feel?"

"A little weak, but I'm getting better," said Battler truthfully.

"How is Beato adjusting to life around here?" asked Kyrie. "I hope the change wasn't too drastic for her. At the dinner table, she always looks a little distracted."

"I think she worries about onii-chan," said Ange. "Because as soon as we're done eating, she runs straight up to onii-chan's room."

"Does she now?" said Battler, raising an eyebrow.

"She'll make a _very_ good wife," said Rudolf, smiling over at Kyrie. "You chose wisely, son!"

"It's weird to imagine onii-chan getting married," remarked Ange.

"Especially since he's so _young,"_ sighed Kyrie. "It won't be that much longer until you become an aunt, Ange."

Ange giggled, but Battler said, "Well, don't start shopping for gifts to spoil the grandchildren with just yet; I think we're going to wait until _after_ I've graduated and gotten a job _before_ we have a baby."

"Just keep in mind that accidents _can _happen," said Rudolf half-jokingly.

The bedroom door opened by a crack and in came Beato, who was helping Virgilia walk in. "What accidents?" asked Beato suspiciously.

"Accidents that my dad is _trying_ to bring upon this in spite of the fact that I'm still _in school,"_ said Battler, glaring at Rudolf.

"This," said Beato, seating Virgilia down in a chair, "is my mother." It felt strange to address Virgilia as her mother and openly acknowledge it, but she went on: "You remember her, right? She's the one I introduced you to—she also had that virus."

"Ah, right," nodded Rudolf. He and Kyrie took turns shaking hands with Virgilia. "So you're really okay with your daughter living with us, huh?"

"Absolutely," said Virgilia. "She's always wanted to get off Rokkenjima."

"I hope you don't mind my asking," said Kyrie, "but where is your husband? Beato's father, I mean. Is he okay with this?"

Virgilia shared a glance with Battler and Beato. Beato spoke: "My father is still on the island, but I checked with him, and he was okay with the arrangement. His name is Ronove."

"Ronove," murmured Kyrie. "That's a very...unique name."

"Yes, you could say that," nodded Beato.

Battler understood the significance behind this—Beato had accepted that while she had been rejected by her _biological_ father, she had been wanted by Ronove who had acted _like_ a father to her. She accepted Ronove as her father.

Ange broke the silence: "Is everything okay?"

Battler looked around from his parents who were happy together, to his sister whom he finally had a chance to return home to, to Virgilia who looked at peace now that she had admitted to her sin, and finally to Beato, who looked both nervous and excited over the idea of spending the rest of her life together with Battler.

"Yes, Ange," said Battler. "Everything is perfect."


	26. Epilogue B

Epilogue (B)

_November 6, 1996_

"Is this it, daddy? Is that Rokkenjima?"

George pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled at his eight-year-old daughter, Molly. Molly was, in every way possible, the spitting image of her father: She had long, straight black hair, dark eyes, and even wore the same glasses. Not like her younger sister, Rosa, who had her mother's soft brown curls and big, blue eyes.

"Yes, Molly," he said as the boat neared the island. "This is Rokkenjima. Did you know I proposed to your mother on this island?"

"Really?" said Molly.

"Yes, really," said Sayo, holding a terrified Rosa in her lap. "I actually started out as your father's maid. Well, I wasn't _his_ maid; I was the _family_ maid."

"Yes, you could say we had a bit of a forbidden romance," said George, smiling over at Sayo.

"Sounds romantic," sighed Molly. "It's just like one of those books!"

"Oh, I think real-life can be even more romantic than books," said Sayo. Then, "Look up, Rosa. We're nearly there, see? We're just about the docks..."

* * *

"Roger! Wait up!"

Six-year-old Roger laughed and ran down the steps to the docks ahead of his parents. The last time he and his cousins met, he had been too young to remember it. Now he was old enough to properly meet them and make new memories.

Roger stopped when he arrived at the docks, taken aback by the size of the large boat approaching. His blonde curls were tossed in the salty sea air. Surrounding him were several seagulls standing tall on the edge of the docks, squalling up a storm. He loved the sound of seagulls and on this morning, they were especially lively.

"Roger!"

Roger turned around at the sound of footsteps. His mother was heading towards him, looking worried. "Roger, don't _ever_ run off on your father and I like that again," she scolded.

"I want to meet my cousins!" said Roger excitedly, jumping up and down.

"You should've still waited for your father and I to catch up with you," said Jessica, who herself was looking forward to getting to see George and Shannon again after being separated from them for so many years.

Kisho joined up with his wife and son at the docks, smiling at the sight of George and Sayo getting off with their young ones. The last time he had seen them, Molly was very small. She had grown quite a bit. Rosa was even smaller; she and Roger were in fact around the same age.

"It's been so long!" said Jessica, giving George a hug before hugging Sayo. She bent down to the girls and said, "You must be Molly, and you must be Rosa."

"It's nice to meet you," said Molly, shaking Jessica's hand. Rosa said nothing until Roger ran up to her and said, "Hi!"

Rosa took a few steps back and hid behind her mother, clinging to her dress.

"Oh, Rosa's just a little shy," said Sayo. "She just needs some time to get used to her cousins. In the mean time, why don't we all go up to the mansion and chat? Battler is here now, right?"

"Yes, the entire clan should be here," nodded Jessica. "By the way, George, prepare yourself: Your parents arrived ahead of you. And you _know_ how much they spoil the girls."

"Not that they mind, of course," laughed George.

* * *

Everyone met up in the parlour, and were all laughing and conversing within minutes, sharing stories and memories.

"Ah, Battler, I still remember that time you stood up and sang that Elton John song to Sayo!" laughed George.

"Yes, I remember being unable to look at Rudolf in the same way for the rest of the weekend," mused Krauss.

"Krauss will be the bane of my dignity yet!" laughed Rudolf.

"Ah, well, I'm not too embarrassed by it anymore," sighed Battler, leaning back in his chair. "I realize now things happen for a reason."

"I wonder, though, why you insisted on having _that _song played at your wedding with Beato," said Eva, who had aged quite well over the years.

"I remember onii-chan mentioning something about how she would understand the meaning behind it," said Ange, pouring herself a glass of water. She, too, had aged quite well, a blossoming young woman at sixteen. Her red hair fell down nicely at her shoulders, but she no longer wore pink bobbles in her hair, or at least, not recently. She was planning to give them away to someone else.

"Where _is_ Beato, by the way?" asked Hideyoshi. "For that matter, where's Maria?"

"Beato's meeting up with her parents right now," said Battler. "You know how sentimental she is about them. Maria, I am not sure. I know she's around here _somewhere,_ but I'm just not sure _where."_

"She's probably up in her room with her studies," said Natsuhi, stirring her drink with her straw. "She has become studious and serious recently. I'm so glad to see she has come a long way since her mother's death. Poor dear."

"I think she was better off at her new school, anyway," said Krauss. "From what I heard, she used to be bullied at her old one. But she seems to have made a few new friends."

"I still can't believe we actually carried on the Western-name tradition into _this _generation," sighed Jessica. "But they _are_ kind of nice. We picked well."

"Yeah, unlike my father, the old bastard," said Battler, playfully punching Rudolf in the arm. Rudolf laughed, "Hey, c'mon—I was just getting a little creative!"

"Ah, sometimes, you're _too_ creative," sighed Kyrie, shaking her head. Then, "By the way, where _are_ the rest of the cousins?"

"They're all outside in the rose garden," explained Kisho. "We're giving them a bit of alone time together so that they can get properly acquainted."

"The last time we left them, they looked perfectly happy together," said Sayo.

Just then, Molly came running into the parlour. "Battler, Ange," she panted, "she's scaring the cousins and I can't stop her."

"Who is?" asked Ange.

"Eleanor," replied Molly.

Battler groaned, _"Eleanor."_

* * *

"B—Beatrice doesn't _really_ exist, right?" laughed Roger, but it was clear from the way he bit his nails that he was thoroughly convinced by this tale.

Eleanor smiled at her cowardly cousins. "Oh yes," she said, her blue eyes tingling with malice, "she exists all right. And do you know what she _does?_"

Rosa was trembling. Eleanor turned in Rosa's direction and said, "She guts your stomach open and then stuffs it with candy!" Rosa shrieked and ran off crying.

Eleanor cackled and, with a toss of her long, blonde hair, said to Roger, "She _also_ eats little annoying cousins for breakfast!"

Roger paled and clung on the nearby iron fence for dear life.

"So beware," said Eleanor, grinning madly. "If you ever happen to walk down the hall late at night all by yourself..._beware."_ She threw her head back and cackled evilly as Roger stood up and ran away.

"_Ushiromiya Eleanor!"_

Eleanor abruptly stopped laughing and whipped around at the sound of her name being called. To her dismay, her mother came marching right up to her, her twin brother, Robert, hiding right behind her black business pants, which she wore with her usual blouse, jacket, vest, and tie, her hair up in a bun. Tried as he might, it was hard to go into hiding and not stick out with such red hair.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Eleanor. "What are you doing here?"

"Eleanor," said Beato sternly, "have you been scaring your cousins _and_ your brother with those Beatrice stories again?"

Robert peeked out from behind Beato's leg and stuck his tongue out at Eleanor, who rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, mama."

"Don't roll your eyes at _me,_ young lady!" scolded Beato. "Learn to show your mother some respect!"

"Indeed, Eleanor," said the voice of Ronove, who walked up to the scene with Virgilia, "you should really show your elders the proper respect they deserve."

"Grandfather! Grandmother!" cried out Eleanor and Robert. Their troubles instantly behind them, they ran up to Ronove and Virgilia, each trying to squeeze in a hug with one of them, but they managed to each get an equal turn at hugging the twins.

"Ah, good day to you, little ones," said Ronove cheerfully. He pulled some candy out of his pocket and said, "How would you two like some candy?"

Eleanor and Robert nodded eagerly, but Beato stepped in and said, _"No_ candy today, Ronove. Eleanor has been a very bad girl, and bad girls don't get any candy."

"My, what happened _here?"_ said Virgilia.

"I made the mistake of telling Eleanor a ghost story about Beatrice, and now she's been scaring everyone she meets with that story," sighed Beato.

"Ah, then you only have yourself to blame for telling her such a silly story, now don't you?" said Virgilia. She bent down to Eleanor's size and said, "I know the story of Beatrice is a fascinating one, but it's one you'd be better off keeping to yourself, okay?"

"I guess so," sighed Eleanor.

Just then, Battler and Ange came running out into the rose garden, the tearful cousins with their respective parents, and all the grandparents, following close behind. "Now what's going on out here?" said Battler.

"Daddy!" cried out Eleanor and Robert, running up to their father and hugging his legs. Battler laughed and bent down to his two children, hugging them back. He shared a glance with Beato, who had to smile back. It was funny how Beato got pregnant right before she and Battler moved out of the house together, after Battler's graduation, and after he had managed to secure a job...when neither she nor Battler even _planned_ on having a baby. The idea that they could not immediately start a family together simply became a fact that they had accepted, to the point where they started getting a little too 'casual' on the nights they made love. Naturally, they were both shocked to learn Beato had not caught a stomach bug, but was in fact expecting a baby—_two _babies to be exact.

When they let go, Battler said, "Now what seems to be the problem here? Eleanor, have you been scaring people again?"

Eleanor bit her lip and nodded. Robert added, "Daddy, she scared me!"

"Now Robert," said Battler, "you don't need to pay any attention to what your sister says about witches. They are just a fairy tale. Eleanor, why don't you go apologize to your cousins right now?"

"Okay," sighed Eleanor. As she walked up to each of her cousins to apologize for scaring them, Battler stood up to his feet. Virgilia said, "Now Beato, you shouldn't be so harsh on her. She's just like you when you were that age. She has your defiant spirit, and your tendency to play mean tricks on people." She lightly chuckled, "I remember occasionally hoping you would have a child someday who gave you just as much grief as you gave me!"

"Well, your wish came true, thank you very much," said Beato dryly. She sighed, "Still, I do love them both, even if they can be a handful at times."

"Much like me with you," said Virgilia, smiling at Beato.

After Eleanor had apologized to all her cousins, Ange said, "Eleanor, I forgot to give these to you at your birthday party. You already had my main gift, but there was something else I meant to give you right before my friend and I took her little sister trick-or-treating."

Ah, it was one of many blessings and curses that came with having a birthday fall right on Halloween...in the midst of preparing the celebrations for both two birthdays _and_ a special holiday, it was all too easy to mix the two festivities up.

Ange pulled her pink bobbles out of her pocket and said, "Now hold still."

As Eleanor had her hair done up, Robert looked up and said, "Are you absolutely _sure_ witches don't exist?"

Battler and Beato shared a glance before Beato said, "Well, nothing is for certain...but there are only _good_ witches now. The kind that only bring love and joy."

"You're sure, mommy?" said Robert, his bottom lip trembling.

Beato gave her son a warm and loving hug. "Of course," she said. "I guarantee it."

Ange had now finished. Eleanor now had two blonde pigtails in her hair, making her look very cute. "There," she said. "Happy belated birthday."

"How kind of Ange," said Beato. "What do we say when people do nice things for us?"

Ronove and Virgilia were tempted to make a smart remark on this, but they held it back. Eleanor said, "Thank you, Aunt Ange." Then, "Who is that?"

Walking right up to the group was a teenage girl with red hair falling just past her shoulders, dark blue eyes, wearing a pink blouse with one of the sleeves bearing the single-wing crest, a long black skirt that went down to her ankles, and sandals exposing her bare toes. She had both a down-to-earth feel, and an air that suggested something almost supernatural.

"Maria?" said Beato, surprised to see how much Maria had grown since the last time they spoke.

"Beato!" cried out Maria, temporarily letting go of her age and running up to Beato like the way she once did as a child. The two women shared a hug and laughed.

"This," said Battler, "is your cousin Maria. She has been living with Aunt Natsuhi and Uncle Krauss since she was nine years old."

Beato and Maria separated. "It's been too long," said Maria. "The last time I saw you, Eleanor and Robert were just babies."

"We're not babies!" said Eleanor defiantly.

"Of course not," said Maria gently. "You're both four years old now, am I right?"

"As of this Halloween, yes," nodded Beato. Then, "So how have you been?"

"Well, I'm learning how to sew," said Maria. "Recently, I've been thinking of sewing up a few Sakutaro's to give to the cousins for..." She noticed the curious cousins standing there and quickly changed the subject: "I also met this boy at college..."

"Have you now?" said Beato with a smile. It was something of a sad smile; Maria had long stopped using "uu" ever since the night of her mother's death...ever since Beato had saved Maria's life. Over the years, she had grown up far too quick.

"Yes," said Maria, blushing. "And, um...should I try your technique? You know..."

Eleanor giggled at the talk of boys. Battler quickly said, "How about we take this conversation inside the mansion?"

* * *

Battler, Beato, and Maria went inside and to the parlour room, where a new chessboard had been set up, and began talking.

"So I start by acting 'tsun' and then switch over to 'dere'?" said Maria.

"That's right," said Beato. "That's how I got Battler...that was how we got _each other,_ come to think of it."

"Ihihihi, you were a bigger tsundere than I was!" said Battler defiantly. Then, "So how are the Stakes and Gaap?"

"They're okay," said Maria. "I don't conjure them up much anymore, but I still enjoy talking to them from time to time. Although, I think Mammon is especially close to Ange."

"Now tell her not to go about starting any sort of romance with my sister!" said Battler jokingly.

Maria only smiled and said, "Battler...there is another thing we need to get resolved between us. Right now."

Beato held back a smile. She seemed to know what it was, which made Battler say curiously, "What is it?"

"My breasts!" said Maria proudly. "You said to let you feel my breasts when I grew big, maybe even ten years from now, and now it _is_ ten years from now!"

Battler felt his face grow warm. "Ah, Maria, you _do_ realize I was just kidding, right?"

"Oh, we know," said Beato, no longer able to hold back a smile. "We're just doing this to embarrass you."

Battler laughed nervously, "So, uh...you really remember those things I said in those other worlds, do you?"

Maria nodded enthusiastically. "Go on, Battler!"

Battler said, "Ah, I'm not sure if I really—GAH!" he cried out when Beato took him by the wrists and firmly placed both his hands on Maria's breasts, finding out she had inherited the D-cup gene in Ushiromiya women. He felt his face flush even hotter and Beato giggled while Maria smiled proudly.

"Don't worry, you can make it up to me in bed later tonight," laughed Beato as she let go of Battler's hands and pulled them back, much to his relief.

"Yeah," laughed Battler, getting up off the couch. "I look forward to that."

"So are you two still a happy couple?" asked Maria.

Battler and Beato walked over to the chess board and began to set up the pieces from the box. "Oh yes," said Battler. "I got to take Beato to quite a few movies which she enthusiastically enjoyed...maybe a little _too_ much; I remember at one point we were kicked out for three weeks!"

"I remember that," laughed Beato, making her first move. She sighed, "I also remember that day Battler-kun took me to the zoo. That day he showed me all those animals...the elephants, and the tigers...the kangaroos, and the giraffes..." She giggled, "Oh, and I also remember my first rollercoaster ride with him! He kept insisting he wasn't scared, that he was willing to endure it for me, but he cried like a _baby_ during our first trip around!"

Maria giggled, and Battler blushed. He now made his move and said, "I also remember the day we found out we were going to start a family. As I recall, Beato's reaction was to first slap the doctor," Beato made her move, "then slap _me,"_ he made his move, "and then finally cry about how she wanted Virgilia there."

Beato sighed wistfully as she made her move, "Indeed. It was a scary time for me; all I knew about babies was how to make one, and that was just about it. But Battler did manage to convince Kumasawa to bring Mother back over just to help me through."

"That was sweet of him," remarked Maria as the two went back and forth, each making their individual move. "I'll bet the moment you two got to see your babies was _really_ romantic, right?"

"Eh...not exactly," said Beato, making her move. "It isn't very romantic when you're secretly wishing you were a witch again so you could sadistically kill your husband while giving birth, then giving him the dirtiest look you can think of when he dares to say 'isn't giving birth the most beautiful thing in the world?'."

"Hey, how was I to know?" said Battler self-defensively, now making his move. "But once it was over, it _was_ kind of nice."

"I guess," sighed Beato. "At least I got to have my husband and my mother by my side. And it really did feel wonderful to hold my babies...and look at them...and see how beautiful they were." She gulped back a forming lump of sentimentality in her throat and made another move.

"I think the old bastard is enjoying being a grandfather a little _too_ much," said Battler, concentrating before making his next move. "The kids are always getting new presents out of nowhere after he comes by to visit. Kyrie's not so bad, though."

"Ronove and Mother can be _just_ as bad," sighed Beato, making her move.

"One last thing I'm curious about," said Maria. "If Eleanor and Robert ever ask how you two met and fell in love, what are you going to say?"

Beato and Battler smiled at each other before Beato said, "We've decided we'll tell them the truth."

Maria figured there had to be a catch. "Really?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," said Beato. She and Battler were on a roll now in their game. "We'll tell them that we fell in love after first laying eyes on each other, then we were separated for a long time, and when we finally met again, I started playing a series of intense chess matches with their father."

"And in between one of the matches, their mother got sick, and it took my healing to make her better," added Battler. "And when I got sick, she made me better in return."

"And when he proposed to me, I agreed to marry him on the condition that he beat me in a game of chess," said Beato, who now stopped. Her king had been cornered. She grinned. "And he did."

Battler grinned back and uttered one word:

"Checkmate."

**THE END**

_Credit song:_ _Promise__ by dai_

_Quote: __That's because  
I'm gonna become much much more happy from now on._

_I'm not gonna compromise with just this.  
We are gonna take back all of our happiness that we lost._

_For me, that's about a hundred year's worth.  
For you, a thousand year's worth._

_-Frederica Bernkastel_

* * *

**A/N: So now we reach this fic's end...all I can say is, wow. This has been way, way different from anything I have ever written before (fanfiction or original fiction), and I think I can safely say this is a fanfic I am definitely proud of personally. It feels like time has flown by so fast...it feels like it was only yesterday I was a naive anime viewer/manga reader (the latter of which is the better adaptation, btw) who found out about Beato's fate...that I began to write down various ideas for a possible fanfic about reviving Beato...that I finally found a helpful person on this site who guided me on the right path...and finally, that I came home after a trip downtown and published the first chapter right after dinner.**

**First, a few words of thanks to the following people:**

**Chidori vs. Rasengan**** for agreeing to be my beta-reader and filling me in on the blanks, and for helping me find the VNs...and for providing me with the delicious Pony Theory. :-)**

**YouTube users ****embracingthesky****, ****muffiekin,****miragecoordinator****, ****NeroinabaKai****, ****obergint****, ****RenaRyuguuChan****, and ****Skittlesxthexpimp**** for the various VN clips they put up on YouTube that helped me right before I found the VNs.**

**LiveJournal user ****Atashi**** for their LiveJournal entries of "End of the Golden Witch", the closest thing to the English "End of the Golden Witch" I found.**

**And of course, the ****Witch Hunt**** for the English translation of the games (I find it ironic that the English patch is released at around the exact same time my story is finished...as Battler said earlier "when irony comes back to bite you, it bites you in the ass").**

**And a thank you to whoever gave my story a Fanfic Recommendation on TV Tropes. :-)**

**As for anything else I would like to add...another reason why this story was so challenging was because I wanted to get it done before December 30 (the release of the sixth game) because I figured half of my theories would get Jossed by then, and I would not be able to use them when the time came (two more days, and we'll see how many theories I screwed up, lol!). However, a part of me wishes I had that kind of deadline more often because then I would be able to work twice as hard with my other unfinished fanfics.**

**And as for some facts surrounding this fanfic...well for starters, I went through quite a few different plot outlines before settling on one I liked, but the basic core (Battler reviving Beato and falling in love) was the same. One idea that stuck in my mind when I was still settling for a plot, though, was Maria kicking ass while singing her character song; I felt I just HAD to include that.**

**The plot twist of Virgilia being Beato's mother actually struck me out of nowhere while I was writing down the rough outline of the plot in my journal. Literally. It just suddenly struck me that maybe there could be a twist where Virgilia and Beato turn out to be related. The chances of this theory actually being true in canon are very, very slim (assuming we go with the theory of Virgilia's existence being meta-representative-of-Kumasawa only), but I added it to my story to give it another layer; I didn't want it to be a random plot twist, however, so I went back and added a bit of foreshadowing to it (ie, her sin).**

**Virgilia fans should be very, very thankful because in my original draft, I had planned to kill her off through a similar method in which Rosa was killed off (taking the bullet for her daughter). However, as the story went on, Virgilia quickly became one of my favourite characters and I thought, 'is killing her off really that necessary? We already have one mom-sacrificing-herself plot device.' So instead, I had her survive to mend things with Beato.**

**One last thing...as soon as I am finished with my Higurasi fanfic "Waiting", I will temporarily be on hiatus from this site for a while because I am planning another epic original story for fiction press. But only after I'm finished, though. I'll still come back to this site, of course, maybe finish off some of my other stories, or maybe even start up another epic one like this, but don't expect anything other than the occasional oneshot for now. However, I'm currently getting into the epicness of "Avatar: The Last Airbender", so who knows—maybe I will write another epic fanfic for that one, too. ;-)**

**So...any final thoughts? What did you like the best? What did you like the least? What surprised you the most?**


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